Agartala: Tripura has experienced remarkable advancement, said agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister Ratan Lal Nath on Monday in Kailashahar of Unakoti district.The minister inaugurated and laid foundation for five significant development projects across various areas of Unakoti district, with a total investment exceeding Rs 15 crore.He opened Betchhara Rural Market in Kumarghat agricultural sub-division. This project, which cost Rs 2.20 crore, aims to bolster local trade. He also laid groundwork for a new office building for Kumarghat electrical division, set to be built at a cost of Rs 5.97 crore.Nath inaugurated Susangata Seed Processing Centre at Jagannathpur, which was constructed at a cost of Rs 1.87 crore, along with office of deputy director of agriculture (horticulture) and soil conservation at Kumarghat, estimated at Rs 2.79 crore.He highlighted that Tripura’s per capita income has seen a significant rise, jumping from Rs 1.4 lakh to Rs 1.98 lakh, and assured that the state has ample food supply, with all underprivileged families receiving 5 kg of rice per person monthly, benefiting a total of 24.76 lakh people.“The average monthly income for farmers has increased from Rs 6,580 in 2015-16 to Rs 13,590 today. About 2.72 lakh MT of paddy have been procured from over 1.40 lakh farmers at minimum support price, resulting in a total payment of Rs 546.39 Cr,” Nath said.“We’ve provided 50,089 improved agricultural machines, benefiting from a subsidy worth Rs 233.63 crore. In comparison, during previous administration, only 2,611 machines were supplied, amounting to a subsidy of Rs 28.35 crore,” he explained.The minister emphasized that natural farming was not a common practice in the state before; now, 42,000 farmers are engaged in natural farming across 16,800 hectares of land.
