#336: Pineapples of NE ft. Family Man
You won't believe what I just found!
Remember this scene from Family Man S3?
“Sweetest Pineapple EVER”
As someone who’s been to North-East, tasted those pineapples and still carry the taste, the scene caught my eye.
NE’s Pineapple story is a MUST KNOW (even for UPSC)
• India is the 5th largest producer of pineapples
• 1.2 million tonnes annual production
• 40% of this comes from NE
• ~90% organic
But farmers in the region still face 15 to 25% post-harvest losses.
Why? Not because of quality or demand but due to poorer storage, cold chain & connectivity
When a pineapple travels more than the infrastructure can handle, it’s the farmer who absorbs the loss.
This isn’t just about pineapples.
The Northeast grows some of India’s most unique and high-demand crops:
• Joha rice
• Passion fruit
• Assam lemon
These are crops that fetch premium markets if logistics are sorted better!
The need bare minimum:
• Right storage & infra support
• Access to timely and affordable credit
• Better transport & post harvest handling
Both Assam govt. as well as Agri Ministry need to come together to build infra.
This will help farmers reduce the losses, build stabler local economy and setup export supply chains
Which such crop is underrated in your region? Do tell me in the replies!