Agartala, May 27 (UNI) India-Bangladesh District Magistrate - Deputy Commissioner (DC) level meeting began here this morning to discuss border-related issues including crime as well as terrorism, drug smuggling, child trafficking and maintenance of old border pillars.




A 22 -Members’ delegation of Bangladesh arrived here this morning to attend the meeting.




District Magistrates of three Tripura and their Bangladeshi counterparts took part a one-day meet would discuss border-related issues including crimes, human trafficking, infiltration and terrorist activities. North Tripura District Magistrate C K Jamatia, who will lead the Indian delegation, said that border fencing, joint patrolling of the Border Security Force and Border Guards Bangladesh and setting up of more "Border Haats" (markets) would also be discussed in the meeting.




Apart from District Magistrates of Tripura's Dhalai, Unokoti and North Tripura districts and Deputy Commissioners of Bangladesh's Rangamati, Khagrachari and Moulvibazar districts, senior officials of the BSF, the BGB, the Customs, the Geological Survey of India, as well as Superintendents of Police of both the Indian and Bangladeshi districts would also be present at the meet.




Tripura exported its first consignment of queen pineapple to neighbouring Bangladesh’s Comilla district through Srimantapur Land Custom Station (LCS) last week. With the BJP-IPFT government in Tripura laying emphasis on local produce, the queen pineapple — one of the three varieties of the tropical fruit grown in the state — has got maximum attention.




President Ramnath Kovind declared queen pineapple the state fruit of Tripura during his visit in June.




Last year, 30 MT of the fruit was exported to Dubai and Doha. This year Bangladesh has been added to the list along with local hubs in Assam, West Bengal and Delhi. “We have exported 20 MT pineapples to Delhi two days back. Overall 130 MT pineapples have been exported this year,” officials said.




While exports have been from staggered pineapples (chemical induced off-season crop) so far this year, the onset of monsoon and seasonal pineapple crops hold key to any genuine export potential of the fruit. Tripura grows 1.28 lakh MT pineapples every year across 8,800-hectare orchards in different districts.




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