Pineapple Processing Industry,Pineapple Food-Fruit Industry,Manipur

Manipur literally meaning "A jeweled land" nestle deep within a lush green corner of North East India. It seems much like an exquisite work of art executed by superb hands of Nature and is indeed a state of exquisite natural beauty and splendors, the beauty of which once inspired Mrs. St. Clair Grimwood described it as " A Pretty Place more beautiful than many show places of the world" Late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru paid a fitting tribute by describing it as "Jewel of India".

Described by Lord Irwin as the 'Switzerland of India', Manipur boasts of an exotic landscape with gently undulating hills, emerald green valleys, blue lakes and dense forests.

Blessed with an amazing variety of flora and fauna, 67% of the geographical area of Manipur is hill tract covered forests. Agriculture plays a vital role as it is the main backbone of the State economy till today. The agriculture is mainly dependent on monsoon however around 28.49% of area under cultivation is irrigated by Canals.

Moreover with a range of natural conditions and varied soil and topography, the state produces sizeable quantity of Paddy, Wheat, Maize, Pulses, Oilseeds such as Mustard, groundnut, Soyabeans, Sunflower, Ginger, Turmeric and Fruits like Pineapple, Lime/Lemon, Banana, Orange, Papaya, Plum and vegetables like, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Tomato, Pea, Squash, Carrot, Pumpkin, etc.

Manipur has vast potential for commercial plantation of citrus fruits like lemon, lime, orange, grapes etc. and Pineapple, Banana, Passion fruit, temperate fruits and locally available fruits (amla, olive, figs, mandrine and Heirukokthong etc.).

Food Processing Industry is a major thrust area in the State of Manipur as it plays a significant supportive role in the diversification and commercialization with value addition of agro-horticultural and forest products.

Pineapples are among the major fruits abundantly available in Manipur for almost 8 months a year .The present pineapple cultivated area is about 10,000 hectares with an annual yield of 70,000 MT.

The two most-sought-after varieties of Pineapple, viz. Kew (big size) and Queen (small size) are produced on commercial scale. The Queen variety available here is most suitable for preparation of juice, pulp and squash.

The 8-month availability of pineapples in Manipur makes the State highly advantageous for processing and export. The specialty of Manipur is the Kew variety available here known for it’s distinctive taste and flavour .This Kew variety is most suited for making canned fruit products thus Canned Pineapples form a part of the major Exports in Processed Fruit industry from this region.

Like the annual Orange festival of Tamenglong district and Lemon festival in Kachai of Ukhrul district, the First ever Pineapple Festival was held in July 2008 at Andro in Imphal East district where above one lakh of the spiky but juicy fruit has been reportedly produced.

Imphal east is the largest producer of pineapples among all the districts of the North Eastern states. Blessed with suitable agro-climatic conditions, Manipur abounds in varieties of raw material resources for the success of any Food Processing Industry.

e-mail : enquiries@pineappleindia.com