Agartala: Tripura sent the first consignment of one tonne Queen variety of pineapples to Dubai on Sunday as part of its initiative to popularise the tropical fruit globally.

Chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb and agriculture minister Pranajit Singha Roy flagged off the first consignment from the Horticulture Research Complex at Nagicherra, 5km from here.

According to them, from now on, two more consignments of two tonnes each will be exported every two days.

The initiative to export pineapples was taken by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda).

A thousand pineapples were procured from eight farmers in Bilascherra village in Kamalpur subdivision of Dhalai district at Rs 21 per kg. Officials said the consignment will reach Dubai on Tuesday via New Delhi.

On May 18, the state government had signed an MoU with Kreamery Craft, a Calcutta-based export-import firm, and Spicejet Merchandise to market Tripura's pineapples in Dubai and other countries.

Speaking to reporters at the ceremony, Deb said: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a dream of doubling farmers' income in the country by 2022. The dream has become a reality here today."

The pineapples were purchased directly from farmers at Rs 21 a kg. Of this, the state horticulture department will take Re 1 for each kg.

Claiming that pineapples are sold in Tripura at Rs 5 to Rs 9 a kg, Deb said his government has ensured a higher price for farmers.

Roy said many countries, including Israel and Bahrain, have expressed willingness to buy the pineapples. "We will also explore the domestic market," he said.

A discussion is under way with the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) to carry a 25-tonne container with the Kanchenjunga Express which runs from Agartala station once a week.

Referring to India's foreign expenses for bamboo procurement, Deb said Rs 1 lakh crore is spent for foreign trade in the sector every year.