Itanagar, Sep 26 Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Saturday said that the state is emerging as a major centre for kiwi production in the country, with the crop opening up new livelihood opportunities in border and high-altitude areas.
He said initiatives such as the Mission Arunachal Kiwi, Atma Nirbhar Bagwani Yojana and Vibrant Villages Programme were helping farmers, generating local employment and encouraging young people to return to their villages.
“India’s leading kiwi-producing state, and the expansion of kiwi cultivation was creating new livelihood opportunities across our border districts,” Mein said in a social media post.
“With initiatives like Mission Arunachal Kiwi, Atma Nirbhar Bagwani Yojana, and Vibrant Villages Programme, we are enabling farmers, creating local employment, and encouraging our youth to return to their villages,” he said.
The deputy chief minister said the government’s focus was not limited to increasing production but also on building a stronger value chain that could connect growers with wider markets.
“Our goal is to take Arunachal’s kiwi to global markets while making our villages centres of opportunity and self-reliance,” he said.
The Centre and state governments have recently stepped up efforts to strengthen the kiwi economy through a cluster-based approach.
Officials said the Mission on “Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh”, launched in May this year, has an outlay of around Rs 167 crore and seeks to strengthen the entire chain from cultivation and post-harvest management to processing, branding, traceability and exports.
According to officials, six integrated post-harvest management hubs are planned in major kiwi-growing clusters, including Ziro Valley in Lower Subansiri, Dirang and Kalaktang in West Kameng, Shi Yomi and Dibang Valley.
The mission also envisages cold-chain infrastructure, value addition, improved market linkages and agri-tourism to reduce post-harvest losses and improve returns to farmers, they said.
Arunachal Pradesh contributes more than half of India’s kiwi production and has over 7,000 tonnes of annual output.
The state was also the first in the country to receive organic certification for kiwi cultivation under the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCD-NER).
The state government has also been supporting horticulture through the Atma Nirbhar Bagwani Yojana, under which beneficiaries can receive a 45 per cent government subsidy, with another 45 per cent financed by banks and 10 per cent contributed by the beneficiaries, according to the state horticulture department.
The Arunachal Pradesh Budget 2025-26 allocated Rs 161 crore across the various Atma Nirbhar scheme verticals, including Atma Nirbhar Bagwani, while the total allocation for agriculture and allied sectors stood at Rs 1,112 crore, according to officials.
The budget also outlined the launch of the Arunachal Pradesh Kiwi Mission in high-potential districts and measures to promote farmer producer organisations for high-value crops such as kiwi.
The newly launched kiwi mission aims to build on these interventions by developing Arunachal’s produce as a distinct organic brand and creating stronger links with domestic and international markets, officials said.
The mission is designed to address problems such as distress sales, inadequate cold-chain facilities and limited value addition while improving shelf life and market access, they added.
(PTI News)
