Agartala, June 26:
Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Friday asserted that the Tripura government has achieved its target of doubling farmers’ income, stating that the average monthly income of farmers in the state has increased from around ₹6,000 in the 2015-16 baseline year to more than ₹13,000.
Addressing the ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ programme at Berimura Higher Secondary School Hall in Bamutia under West Tripura district and later speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister said the achievement reflected the government’s sustained efforts to strengthen the agriculture sector while safeguarding cultivable land.
“We had set a target of doubling farmers’ income, and we have achieved it. If you take the baseline year of 2015-16, the income of farmers was around ₹6,000. Now it has crossed ₹13,000,” Dr. Saha said.
Emphasising the need to protect agricultural land, the Chief Minister said the government would not allow indiscriminate conversion of cultivable land for non-agricultural purposes.
“We do not want agricultural land to be diverted for other uses. At the same time, ease of doing business is also important. We are trying to strike a balance between industrial development and the protection of agricultural land,” he said.
Dr. Saha said industrial projects should preferably be established on available unused land in designated industrial zones instead of fertile farmland.
He added that every proposal would remain under government scrutiny to ensure that agriculture and farmers’ interests are not adversely affected.
Highlighting the significance of the nationwide Khet Bachao Abhiyan, the Chief Minister said the campaign reflects the Centre’s concern over the gradual degradation of cultivable land and declining soil fertility caused by the excessive and indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers over several decades.
He said the campaign was launched by Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is being implemented with the active participation of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), agricultural scientists and farmers across the country.
Describing agriculture as the backbone of India’s economy, food security and rural livelihoods, Dr. Saha said nearly 60 per cent of the country’s workforce is dependent on the sector.
He said Prime Minister Modi has consistently focused on improving farmers’ income, restoring soil health and enhancing agricultural productivity through scientific interventions and various government schemes.
The Chief Minister cautioned that excessive use of chemical fertilisers such as urea and diammonium phosphate (DAP) has steadily depleted the organic content of soil, adversely affecting long-term agricultural productivity. Maintaining soil health, he said, is essential for sustainable agriculture and ensuring future food security.
Local CPI(M) MLA Nayan Sarkar, senior officials of ICAR and the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department, and a large number of farmers attended the programme.
