About Tripura: Information on Tourism, Industries, Economy & Geography

Tripura, one of the north-eastern states, is bounded on the north, west, south and southeast by Bangladesh, whereas in the east, it shares a common boundary with Assam and Mizoram.

The state has favourable climatic conditions for cultivation of various fruit and horticultural crops. It is rich in natural resources such as natural gas, rubber, tea and medicinal plants.

Tripura is endowed with rich and diverse bamboo resources. It is also the second largest natural rubber producer in the country after Kerala. Tripura accounts for about 6 per cent of bamboo sticks, used for making incense sticks in India. Around 21 of the 130 bamboo species known in India are grown in the state.

Tripura holds a strong tea plantation base in India, with 54 tea gardens covering an area of over 7,482.27 hectares as of 2015-16. Due to large availability of land along with appropriate climatic conditions, a gradual boost to the tea production in the state has been witnessed. In 2017-18, tea production in the state stood at 8.72 million kg.

The state is also rich in natural gas deposits, glass sands, limestone, plastic clay and hard rock. With its pleasant climate and scenic landscape, Tripura is a favoured tourist destination. The state offers tourists attractions such as historical Hindu and Buddhist sites, temples, rivers and rock carvings. In 2017, the number of foreign tourist arrivals in the state were recorded to be 69,899.

The state has favourable climatic conditions for cultivating various fruit and horticultural crops including rice, jackfruit, pineapple, potato, sugarcane, chilli and natural rubber. Rice is the major crop of the state and is cultivated in 91 per cent of the cropped area. The state has a wide variety of medical plants having 266 medicinal plants, 379 species of trees, 581 herbs, 320 shrubs and 165 climbers.

The Guwahati-region which includes Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura has attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflows worth US$ 122 million during the period April 2000 to June 2019, according to data released by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT),.

Tripura has 87.8 per cent literacy rate, higher than the national average rate, making it an ideal destination for knowledge sectors.

As of November 2019, Tripura had a total installed power generation capacity of 756.46 megawatt (MW), of which 185.51 MW was under state utilities, 566.54 MW was under central & 4.41 MW was under the private sector.

The state has a wide range of fiscal and policy incentives for businesses under the Tripura Industrial Investment Promotion Incentive Scheme, 2017. Developing infrastructure, improved rail & air connectivity, and establishment of trade routes have facilitated trade.

Key Sectors:

• The agro-climatic conditions in the state are favourable for growing various fruits and horticultural crops. Tripura’s pineapples and oranges are known for their unique flavour and organic nature.
• As per the 3rd advance estimate of 2018-19, total fruit production in the state is 555.473 thousand MT, total vegetables production is 813.378 thousand MT, total plantation production is 29.458 thousand MT, total spices production is 30.22 thousand MT.
• Tripura has vast natural gas reserves. The gas is available in a non-associate form, with high methane content of about 97.0 per cent. Concessional gas-pricing and vast reserves offer potential for setting up industries in the sector. Natural Gas production in Tripura during 2018- 19 (up to February 2019) stood at 1,407 million cubic metres (mcm).
• An agri-export zone for pineapples is also being developed. The state also has potential in the meat processing sector. Tripura implemented the National Food Security Act, 2013, in September 2015 and became the first state to implement the act in the entire North East
• Tea grown in Tripura is known for its good blending qualities. Organic tea and green tea production have been undertaken by some of the tea estates in the state. Tea production is a growing industry in Tripura and provides a considerable scope for investment.