New Delhi, Delhi, 20th of May, 2026 : The Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region and Communications, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, today launched Mission on “Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh — a Cluster-based Kiwi Cultivation and Value Chain Development Mission for the State of Arunachal Pradesh. The launch was graced in the august presence of Shri Pema Khandu, Chief Minister, Government of Arunachal Pradesh; Shri Manish Kumar Gupta, Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh and Shri Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, MDoNER.
With an outlay of approximately ₹167 crore, Mission on Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh has been designed through a whole-of-government, convergence-led approach — anchored by MDoNER and woven together with the schemes of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, along with NABARD, ICAR-CITH, APEDA, NERAMAC and committed private investors. The Mission has been shaped keeping in view the perspectives of every stakeholder in the value chain, ensuring that interventions reflect the ground realities and the aspirations of Arunachal’s kiwi-farming communities.
The Mission adopts a cluster-based approach with six integrated cluster-level Post-Harvest Management Hubs identified across Ziro Valley (Lower Subansiri), Dirang and Kalaktang (West Kameng), Shi Yomi, and Dibang Valley. Over 30 strategic interventions under the Mission seek to address critical gaps across the kiwi value chain — bridging the price-realisation gap, restoring Arunachal’s lapsed NPOP organic certification, building cold-chain and post-harvest infrastructure to end the 7–10-day distress-sale window, and integrating thousands of farming households into a unified ecosystem of plantation development, post-harvest processing, branding, traceability, export and experiential agri-tourism.
The Union Minister, MDoNER, underscored Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s commitment to ensuring that farmers become true stakeholders in the entire agricultural value chain — “from farm to fork.” Emphasising the convergence-driven character of the initiative, the Minister said:
Through the High-Level Task Forces constituted with all 8 North Eastern states, and in collaboration with all the Chief Ministers and Govts of the 8 States, we have identified one unique product from each state with a distinct Unique Selling Proposition, like from Mizoram’s ginger and Nagaland’s coffee to Sikkim’s organic farming, Manipur’s polo heritage, Assam’s muga silk and Meghalaya’s Lakadong turmeric. Today, with the launch of Project Kiwi in Arunachal Pradesh, we are taking another major step in building globally competitive value chains rooted in the strengths of the North East.”
“I congratulate the Ministry of DoNER, the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and all partner institutions for coming together in a true whole-of-government and whole-of-India approach. This is not just a government scheme or a ministry-led initiative, it is a first-of-its-kind collaborative model bringing together the Central and State Governments, NABARD, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, ICAR, APEDA and the private sector to strengthen the entire kiwi value chain, from the farmer to the market. At every stage, interventions have been identified to ensure better shelf life, value addition, premium market access and higher incomes for our farmers.”
The Minister noted that the Mission on “Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh has been designed as a full-value-chain development initiative to transform Arunachal Pradesh from a distress-selling Kiwi-producing region into a premium, traceable, single-origin organic Kiwi economy with strong domestic and international market presence. He highlighted that despite contributing over 50 percent of India’s kiwi production with more than 7,050 MT annually, farmers receive only ₹20–40 per kg for Grade C produce and around ₹120 per kg for Grade A, while imported kiwi commands significantly higher prices in Indian and global markets. Stressing the need to strengthen FPOs and reduce intermediary dependence, the Minister stated that the Mission is anchored on four strategic pillars — Convergence, Value Addition, Branding and Market Integration. He further outlined key targets including extending shelf life, reducing distress sale, creating 2,000 MT cold-chain capacity, improving processing and value-addition facilities, promoting kiwi start-ups, increasing farmers’ income, and positioning Arunachal Organic Kiwi in international export markets by FY 2028.
The Minister further highlighted that the initiative envisions Brand North East — “Arunachal Organic Kiwi” — supported through media campaigns, participation in international trade fairs, and experiential kiwi-orchard tourism initiatives in the pilot clusters. He noted that the Mission strategically leverages Arunachal’s natural November–January harvest window, which falls precisely within the New Zealand off-season — offering Arunachal Organic Kiwi a unique market opening in South-East Asian, Middle Eastern, and European markets. The Mission also seeks to promote farm-stays and farm-to-fork tourism experiences across Ziro Valley and Dirang, positioning Arunachal Pradesh as a niche destination for organic horticulture tourism.
The Minister noted that the true success of the initiative would be reflected when “Arunachal Organic Kiwi” secures premium shelf space in both domestic and international markets — traceable to individual farmers through QR-enabled packs — while ensuring a four-to-six-fold increase in farmer value realisation for kiwi-growing communities across the State. He situated the Mission within the larger vision of “Brand North East” — one USP for every State: Organic State (Sikkim), Ginger of Mizoram, Queen Pineapple of Tripura, Coffees of Nagaland, Lakadong Turmeric of Meghalaya, and now Organic Kiwi of Arunachal Pradesh. He assured farmers and stakeholders that the Government stands “side by side” with them and remains fully committed to developing a globally competitive specialty organic kiwi ecosystem for Arunachal Pradesh.
The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Shri Pema Khandu, expressed deep appreciation to MDoNER for conceptualising and anchoring Mission on Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh, describing it as a defining moment in the State’s agricultural and economic journey. He noted that Arunachal Pradesh is India’s largest kiwi-producing State and the first State in the country to receive organic kiwi certification under MOVCD-NER (2020) — a milestone that the Mission now converts into a structured pathway for farmer prosperity, value addition and global market integration. He stated that kiwi has emerged as a transformative cash crop, offering a sustainable alternative to jhum cultivation across the high-altitude belts, and reaffirmed that the State Government is fully committed to time-bound execution of the Mission on the ground, dovetailing it with the State’s own Arunachal Pradesh Kiwi Mission 2025–35.
Shri Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, MDoNER, in his introductory remarks, elaborated on the implementation framework of the Mission and highlighted the immense potential of Arunachal Pradesh’s high-altitude, organic agro-climatic conditions for producing premium-grade Hayward and Allison cultivars of kiwi. He noted that while kiwi cultivation has expanded across 13 districts of the State — spanning more than 3,582 hectares and engaging over 1,500 dedicated farmers — interventions are now required to improve productivity, quality, value addition and market access. He further emphasised that the cluster-based, convergence-driven model would enable smallholder farmers to collectively benefit from shared cold-chain infrastructure, technical support, branding initiatives and direct market linkages — anchored by clearly defined and time-bound critical milestones.
Ms. Koj Rinya, Secretary, Department of Horticulture, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, delivered the vote of thanks and expressed sincere gratitude to Hon’ble Minister, MDoNER, the Government of India, MDoNER, partner Ministries, institutions, farmers, FPOs, entrepreneurs and all stakeholders for their continued support and collaboration in conceptualising Mission on Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh. She reaffirmed the commitment of the State Government towards effective and time-bound implementation of the Mission for strengthening the kiwi ecosystem and improving the livelihoods of farmers across Arunachal Pradesh.
The initiative is expected to create sustainable livelihoods, sharply reduce post-harvest losses, improve value capture at the farm gate, and encourage rural youth participation in the kiwi economy across Arunachal Pradesh. The launch event was warmly welcomed by kiwi farmers of Ziro Valley and Dirang, and was attended by officials of MDoNER and the Government of Arunachal Pradesh along with farmers, FPOs, entrepreneurs and other industry stakeholders.
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