Tripura is famous for pineapples of excellent
taste and world class quality. Pity, cultivators have no access to basic infrastructures like proper
storage, packaging facilities etc. As pineapple is highly perishable item, lack of these facilities forced farmers into distress sales every year. A possibility
of earning foreign currency by exporting high quality pineapples produced in
Tripura is dimming because of improper planning and dynamic initiatives by the
Government.
A change was expected when NERAMAC,
a Government of India (GoI) Enterprise , set up a
factory at Nalkata in North district of Tripura nearby 44 NH in 1997. Fitted
with modern machineries imported from Japan ,
Russia and Italy , NERAMAC rekindled
hope amongst cultivators. NERAMAC intervenes in sourcing, procuring and
marketing horticulture products like pineapples. The organization also extends
assistance to farmers under Horticulture Mission Schemes of GoI. Obviously
NERAMAC infused enthusiasm among the farmers and pineapple cultivation became
main occupation of several ethnic tribes living in the area.
Initially 46
employees were inducted and the factory was supposed to produce 50 MT pineapple
juice every day. However, within one year since inception, NERAMAC’s down slide
started and poor tribal farmers’ dreams started to be shattered. Inefficient
management in running administration, lack of willingness among the officials to
support poor farmers etc coupled with massive irregularities and negligence contributed
a pre-mature death of NERAMAC’s journey in Tripura and farmers are again forced
in selling their produces at throw away prices and rotting rate is exuberantly high. Presently, costly imported
machineries of NERAMAC are laying unattended. What a misuse of Government
money !!!
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