Agartala, Sept 17: Secretary of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Katikithala Srinivas visited the Kadamtala area of North Tripura on Thursday to inspect agar plantations and interact with growers, workers and traders involved in the sector.

The visit was aimed at understanding the challenges faced by the agar industry and exploring measures to simplify and facilitate agar-related business activities in Tripura.

As part of the visit, Katikithala first went to Mamon Enterprise at North Phulbari village under Kadamtala block. 

He inspected an agar plantation and later reviewed various activities related to agar processing, including the production of agar chips and oil. He also interacted with workers and local agar traders to understand their experiences and concerns.

During the interaction, All Tripura Agar Association secretary Anfar Ali briefed the DoNER Secretary about various products manufactured from agar and the potential of the sector. Discussions were also held on ways to make the business process smoother for traders and entrepreneurs.

Katikithala said the concerns raised by the agar traders would be discussed with the concerned authorities and the government to explore measures that could support the sector.

The association also placed a three-point charter of demands before the DoNER Secretary. Among the key demands were the provision of low-interest loans of up to Rs 25 lakh to agar traders and entrepreneurs and arrangements for skill development and training of workers through the association.

Tripura’s agar industry has a market extending beyond the state, with demand for agar products reported from different parts of India as well as international markets. Traders from places including Dubai and Bangkok have previously visited the Kadamtala region in connection with the agar trade.

Following the visit to the plantation and processing unit, the DoNER Secretary inspected the Kadamtala Agar Market.

Senior officials of the Forest Department, North Tripura District Magistrate Chandni Chandran and the concerned Range Officer accompanied DoNER secretary during the visit.