Economy

The Tripura small industries corporation Ltd - a Government of Tripura undertaking - is actively aiding the local industries besides running a number of units like the Khandsari Sugar Factory, the Fruit Canning Factory, the ASCU Timber Treatment and Seasoning Plant. A pharmaceutical factory was also set up. For providing marketing facilities to the local industries products, the state government has been running sales emporia.

The Tripura Khadi Gramodyag Board has under its control and supervision production centres not only of Khadi of various types but also of ceramics, bricks, tar, Jewellery, forest based products, agricultural based products, village industrial products, leather products, rubber and cottage industrial products, gobar gas, aluminium products etc.

Low level of manufacture, inadequate power, lack of river and rail transport and consequent high road or air transportation cost are the main difficulties standing in the way of industrial development of the state.

The coming of the Gomati Hydro-electric Project has somewhat eased the power problem. One silver lining is that recently the state has been connected by a metal-gauge rail line from the southern tip of Assam (Karimganj district), to Kumarghat (a distance of 45 Km). Transport and communication bottleneck has been the major reason for the lack of development of industries.

Tea Industry

Tea industry  in the state occupies an important place in its economy. Tea cultivation in Tripura was started as far back as 1919 during the reign of Maharaja Birendrakishore Manikya. There are 55 registered tea gardens covering 6045 hectares and producing 54 lakh Kg of tea per year. Tripura Tea development corporation has started new plantations.

A survey of the Tripura tea garden conducted by the National council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) stressed the need for a comprehensive development programme. The steps recommended by the council in this direction are mainly :

• In filling up of vacancies;

• Provision of fertilizers and insecticides;

• Reorganisation of the manufacturing process;

• Removing the bottlenecks in the transport system.

  For growth and development of the tea industry in Tripura, therefore a structural reorganisation in the management along with other steps highlighted above, should immediately be taken up.

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