Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday claimed that the average monthly income of farmers in the state has more than doubled over the past decade, rising from Rs 6,580 in 2015-16 to Rs 13,590, attributing the increase to a series of government initiatives aimed at strengthening agriculture and improving farmers’ livelihoods.
Addressing a programme at Bamutia in West Tripura district, the Chief Minister said the state government has implemented several proactive measures to boost the agricultural sector and improve the socio-economic condition of farmers.
“A farmer’s income in Tripura has increased from Rs 6,580 in 2015-16 to Rs 13,590 at present due to various initiatives undertaken by our government,” Saha said.
Highlighting the state’s agricultural production, he said Tripura annually produces around 12 lakh tonnes of rice, 364 tonnes of wheat, and over 17,000 tonnes of pulses.
The Chief Minister said the government has introduced direct procurement of paddy from farmers at a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 23.69 per kg, eliminating the role of middlemen in the procurement process.
According to Saha, the state government has procured 2,61,227 tonnes of paddy from 2,35,356 farmers since 2018 and has disbursed Rs 529.81 crore to them.
Referring to the Centre’s welfare initiatives, Saha said the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, which initially faced criticism, has become an effective platform for direct benefit transfers to farmers and economically weaker sections.
He also stated that 2.13 lakh farmers in Tripura received Rs 46.35 crore under the latest instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme, which was released on June 20.
Urging farmers to register with the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department, Saha appealed to them to obtain unique farmer identity cards to avail themselves of various government welfare schemes.
“So far, only 64,074 farmers have registered and obtained unique farmer identity cards. I urge all farmers to complete the registration process to access the benefits of various welfare schemes,” he said.
The Chief Minister also directed officials to intensify awareness campaigns across the state to ensure that every eligible farmer is informed about and benefits from the government’s welfare programmes.
