Agartala: Dec 06: The present government, which was formed in 2018, failed to keep its promise of doubling farmers’ income. In the last 57 months, the condition of farmers in the state has worsened. But after the establishment of the government, the former chief minister said that the income of 3 lakh 69 thousand 357 registered farmers of the state has doubled in one year. This information of the government is completely wrong.
All India Krishak Sabha state committee held a press conference on Tuesday, the organization’s state secretary Pavitra Kar alleged. He said the production of paddy in 2018-19 was 11,90,268 metric tons. 10,406 metric tonnes of paddy was purchased by the government during that period. Its amount has decreased to 12,04,550 metric tons in 2020-21. 13,746.9 metric tons of rice has been purchased by the government.
Only 19,817 metric tons of paddy was purchased by the government in 2021 22. So it is seen that 3.91 percent farmers have benefited till now after 2018. 96 percent farmers in the state are deprived. It has repeatedly become clear that the government is trying to create confusion about the farmers of the state, said Pavitra Kar. He also said that former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Dev, in a written reply to a question raised by MLA Shankar Roy in the Legislative Assembly on September 27, 2018 from the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the government has taken several schemes to multiply the income of the farmers of Tripura by 2022. But if it is reviewed now, it can be seen that the income of the farmers is far from doubling, the production of agricultural products is decreasing day by day. In 2015-16, it would have been possible to meet 98 percent of the total demand of the state with the paddy produced. That is, it would have been possible to meet the demand in 354 days. But during the current government’s tenure, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has informed in the context of the written answer to a question brought by the current MLA Ratan Kumar Bhowmik on March 22 that the state’s total demand of 316 days is being met with the currently produced paddy.
He also said that in 2015-16 the cultivable land of Tripura was 2,72,823 hectares. It has decreased to 2,55,241 hectares in 2020-21. It has become clear time and again that farmers’ income has not doubled, farmers have turned away from agriculture due to frustration, said Pavitra Kar. He also said that eighty percent of the irrigation machines in the state are broken. There is no initiative to reform the office. He said that a program will be taken against this in the interest of farmers in the coming days. State president of the organization Aghor Debbarma and other leaders were present in the press conference organized on this day.
