Tripura brings 20,000 hectare land under organic cultivation

Agartala:As many as 20,000 hectares of agricultural land of Tripura have already been brought under organic cultivation of aromatic rice, pineapple, pepper, turmeric, and green chilly, where around 19,900 farmers are involved in farming activities, claimed Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath here on Saturday.

Inaugurating a sales counter for organic crops run by Northeast Regional Agriculture Marketing Company Ltd (NERAMAC) in the city, Nath said besides the availability of locally grown organic crops and agricultural products of the state, products produced by self-help groups and local entrepreneurs will also be available in the outlet.

The minister also flagged off a mobile van that will move around the city to sell organic produce.

The NERAMAC will open more outlets at Agartala Railway Station, Sabroom, and Srimantapur Integrated Check Posts to promote the state's agriculture and horticulture products among tourists, and the process has begun to send about 32 MT of processed maize from the state to Maharashtra through a private agency. The first consignment of 16 MT of processed maize was dispatched on Saturday.

"So far, at least 26 MT of aromatic rice, 62 MT of ginger, 14 MT of turmeric, and 149 MT of pineapples grown organically have been marketed in the state in the financial years 2022–23 and 2023–24."

Tripura has produced about 50,000 MT of pineapples organically on 50086 hectares of land in the state," Nath stated.

He added that the queen variety of pineapple has already received Geographical Indication, and the state government has been working on acquiring similar tags for scented lemon, jackfruit, and Sabri banana, which are abandoned in Tripura and growing naturally at a commercial scale.

After the BJP-led government came to power in 2018, the first international export of pineapples and lemons began, and now a steady supply chain of the produce has been developed, and gradually Tripura will become self-reliant in agriculture and horticulture production with the support of PM Fasal Bima Yojana and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi," Nath added.(UNI)