West Tripura, June 26: 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 ₹6,580 in 2015–16 to ₹13,590 at present, attributing the growth to a series of government welfare and agricultural initiatives.
Addressing a programme at Bamutia in West Tripura district, the Chief Minister said the government has undertaken proactive measures to strengthen the agricultural sector and improve the socio-economic condition of farmers across the state.
“A farmer’s income in Tripura has doubled from ₹6,580 in 2015–16 to ₹13,590 at present due to several measures taken by our government,” Saha said.
Highlighting the state’s agricultural output, he stated that Tripura produces around 12 lakh tonnes of rice, 364 tonnes of wheat and over 17,000 tonnes of pulses annually, reflecting steady growth in the sector.
The Chief Minister also noted that the government has introduced direct procurement of paddy at a minimum support price (MSP) of ₹23.69 per kg, removing middlemen from the procurement process. He said that since 2018, the state has procured 2,61,227 tonnes of paddy from 2,35,356 farmers, with ₹529.81 crore disbursed to beneficiaries.
Referring to central welfare schemes, Saha said that despite initial criticism of initiatives like Jan Dhan Yojana, they have now enabled direct benefit transfers to farmers and economically weaker sections, improving transparency and delivery of assistance.
He further informed that 2.13 lakh farmers in Tripura recently received ₹46.35 crore under the latest instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme released on June 20.
Urging greater participation, the Chief Minister appealed to farmers to register with the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department and obtain unique farmer identity cards to access various government schemes. He also directed officials to intensify awareness campaigns to ensure that all eligible farmers are covered under welfare programmes.
