Welcome to the land of hillocks and high hills adorned with valleys and rivers with a moderately humid and warm climate in the Northeast of India. Welcome to Tripura.
This is also the land of pineapples, jackfruits, litchis, oranges, limes, lemons, cashew nuts, and coconuts. The beauty of this land is that fruits are abundantly grown on hillocks, harnessing the well-distributed rainfall of this region. And yes, farmers hardly use chemical fertilizers here.
Here, we will give you a glimpse of the Queen and Kew varieties of pineapples. These are grown abundantly in the State of Tripura.
Mid-May to Mid-September is the period wherein you can enjoy the delicious, vitamin C-rich varieties of pineapple in this quintessential Northeast state of India.
About Queen pineapple
On June 7, 2018, President of India Ram Nath Kovind declared the Queen variety of pineapple as the state fruit of Tripura, citing that this variety connects the state with world trade.
In 2015, Queen pineapple received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
So, what’s so special about Queen?
The fruit of the Queen pineapple variety is golden yellow, spiny, and with a sweet aroma. The best time to harvest these fruits is when their eyes turn yellow. This usually happens from mid-May to mid-July. This is a time when you find a lot of Queen pineapples doing the rounds in the market.
The average weight of this pineapple is 600-800 grams. The juice is bright yellow. TSS (Total Soluble Solids) of the fruit ranges from 10 to 14 Brix, on the basis of the maturity stage and season. Its pH is 4.0 to 4.5. Water content is anything between 80% and 90%.
Queen pineapple has a unique aroma that makes it different from other pineapple varieties
About Kew pineapple
Kew pineapple is spineless and big in size. The fruit weighs between 1.5 kg and 3.0 kg. The fruit is very juicy. TSS is 8 to 12 Brix. The juice is light yellow. The fruit is highly aromatic. This variety is best for canning.
Pineapple harvest trick
When you harvest pineapples at the half-ripe stage, the fruits can be kept fresh for up to 3 weeks when stored at 12-13 degrees Celsius.
Pineapple that never betrays
The traditional lore of Tripura features an age-old belief, which is still alive. The belief is: “pineapple would never betray us.” People believe that pineapple crop would never betray them, meaning the crop would almost always give them a bumper harvest. And it has been so for decades together.
Pineapple has proved true to the belief and has been offering a substantial income to farmers every year. Any other crop would fail in an unfavourable condition, but pineapple is a crop that stands by Darwin’s theory, “survival of the fittest.”
Farmers of Tripura pioneered cultivation of pineapple and the state is abundant of these yellow, juicy fruits that offer a refreshing delight in the hot months.
Recently, on June 11, the first Kisan Rail from the Northeast of India set off to Adarsh Nagar in Delhi from Agartala, the capital of Tripura, loaded with four tonnes of Queen pineapple and jackfruit. The Chief Minister of Tripura, Biplab Deb, had flagged off the rail.
Indeed, this variety of pineapple stands true to its name. It is loaded with Vitamin C. The Health benefits of pineapple are tremendous, not to mention the unique flavor of this fruit. Just a couple of slices of this juicy fruit can refresh your body and mind.
