Agartala (Tripura) [India], January 24 (ANI): Union Development of North Eastern Region and Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Saturday during the second day of his three-day visit to Tripura and Assam, reached North Fulkabari in Tripura, where he laid the foundation stone of the Rs 80 crore Agarwood Value Chain Development Scheme, an official release from Ministry of Development of North-East Region said.

On the occasion, the Union Minister said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for a developed Northeast, he has brought several development initiatives for the region during this visit. Some of these were dedicated to the public on the first day of the visit on Friday, the foundation stone for the agarwood value chain has been laid today, and tomorrow the Matabari Tourism Circuit will be inaugurated as one of the biggest gift of this visit.

Scindia stated that India's agarwood production capacity is primarily concentrated in Tripura and Assam, and this scheme aims to infuse new energy into the strengths of both states.

Scindia explained that the scheme will strengthen the entire agarwood value chain from trees in farmers' fields to perfume bottles in international markets.

He informed that two Central Processing Centres (CPCs) will be established under the scheme, one in Golaghat (Assam) and the other in this region of Tripura. These centres will enable comprehensive processing, branding and marketing, eliminating middlemen and ensuring that farmers receive the full value of their produce.

Scindia said several key steps have been taken to make the agarwood sector globally competitive. The process for obtaining a Geographical Indication (GI) tag is underway; export quotas have been increased six-fold; agarwood chips exports have been raised from 25,000 kg to 1.5 lakh kg; agarwood oil exports from 1,500 kg to 7,500 kg; and sites and permissions are being integrated on a digital platform so that farmers can directly connect with international markets.

He emphasised that the clear objective is to remove intermediaries and ensure that the full benefit reaches farmers directly.

The Union Minister said that Fulkabari's agarwood sector stands as one of the strongest examples of Prime Minister Modi's vision of 'Local to Global', 'Vocal for Local' and 'One District One Product (ODOP)'.

He noted that India currently has around 150 million agarwood trees, nearly 90% of which are located in the Northeastern states. Through this scheme, Tripura's production capacity is expected to increase by up to 50%.

The Union Minister expressed confidence that, within the next 3-4 years, Tripura's agarwood market alone could develop an annual turnover of Rs 2,000 crore.

To connect farmers directly with global markets, buyer-seller meets are being organised. He cited a recent meeting with buyers from Qatar, where farmers were directly linked with international purchasers.

Concluding his address, the Union Minister said that this scheme is a result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of focusing on the unique strengths of each state. Continuous efforts have been underway in this direction for over a year, and today those efforts have borne fruit.

He expressed confidence that in partnership with the Tripura Government, the agarwood sector will be given global recognition, making the state a new benchmark in the journey towards Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Minister Scindia stated that while he is in Tripura today for the agarwood project, several other development initiatives for the state are also progressing. Just yesterday, he laid foundation stones and inaugurated projects worth Rs 220 crore, reviewed the Agartala Government Inter College project (Rs 192 crore) and the Maternal & Child Health Hospital (Rs 200 crore).

Union Minister further informed that on Sunday, he will lay the foundation stone for the Rs 280 crore Matabari Tourism Circuit. (ANI)