New Delhi/Agartala, Sep 30 (IANS): Tripura Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath on Tuesday sought higher central support for the agriculture and horticulture sectors, including increased allocations under key schemes and changes in the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) guidelines to cover local natural calamities.
Nath made the demands while addressing the second day of the National Agriculture Conference-Rabi Campaign 2026 in New Delhi, attended by Union Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
On the second day of the National Agriculture Conference – Rabi Campaign 2026, Union Minister Chouhan chaired a session attended by Agriculture Ministers and senior officials from various states of the country.
Minister Nath said the Centre had provided funds to Tripura as per the state’s action plan this year and appreciated the support extended to farmers. He said that during the previous Rabi season, hybrid paddy was cultivated on 25,000 hectares, while Rabi pulses and oilseeds covered 9,500 hectares and 9,700 hectares, respectively.
During the current Kharif season, 37,500 hectares were brought under the Chief Minister’s Integrated Crop Management Programme, including 27,500 hectares of hybrid paddy, 2,000 hectares of aromatic rice, 15,000 hectares of pulses, 8,000 hectares of oilseeds and 1,000 hectares of summer vegetables, the minister said.
He also informed the conference that the state government was working on the Farmer’s Registry, Digital Crop Survey and National Framework for Fertiliser Sale.
Nath sought higher allocations under the Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM) and Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) schemes to strengthen farm mechanisation and irrigation in the state. He said paddy-growing areas in Tripura frequently suffer crop losses due to inundation during heavy rains, but farmers often do not receive insurance benefits.
The minister sought the inclusion of “local natural calamities” in the PMFBY guidelines to cover crop losses caused by incidents such as localised flooding. Nath also sought 45,000 additional soil health cards for farmers in the state and an increase in the minimum allocation for the annual action plan under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) for the Area Expansion Programme from 20 per cent to 35 per cent.
He said Tripura had significant potential for cultivating exotic fruits such as avocado and rambutan, but the availability of quality planting material remained inadequate. The minister sought greater central support for research and the availability of quality planting material through recognised nurseries and research stations.
Nath further sought an increase in the central share for the Post Harvest Management component from 50 per cent to 75 per cent from the reserve fund to encourage private investment in the sector. On natural farming, he said Tripura currently has around 16,400 hectares under natural farming, involving around 38,000 farmers.
He stressed the need to promote bio-formulations as an important input for demonstrations under various schemes and sought support for Bio Input Resource Centres (BRCs) for marketing, packaging and branding.
Nath also proposed the formation of a Natural Seed Grower Consortium. He said the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCD-NER) scheme had been successfully implemented in Tripura and that the state had substantial organic produce exported to countries including Germany, Dubai and Bangladesh.
Union Ministers of State for Agriculture Ram Nath Thakur and Bhagirath Choudhary, Agriculture Ministers of various states and senior officials also attended the two-day conference in Delhi.
