Agartala, July 31 To increase the production and productivity of rice, the Tripura Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department has undertaken a special initiative to promote hybrid rice cultivation and set a target of 25,200 hectares of hybrid rice cultivation for the 2025-26 Kharif season.
Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath said that in 2024-25, hybrid rice was cultivated in a total area of 35,000 hectares in Tripura, out of which 8,630 hectares were cultivated during the Kharif season and 26,370 hectares in the Rabi season.
The Minister also informed that around 4,81,609 hectares of land are under cultivation of various horticultural products, and paddy is cultivated in around 2,40,804 hectares of land annually.
He further informed that out of 58 blocks in Tripura, 30 blocks and three districts, South Tripura, Gomati and Sepahijala are currently self-sufficient in food production.
“To make up for this shortfall in rice, we are focusing on hybrid cultivation using the SRI (System of Rice Intensification) process. We want to work for farmers. They have to transplant paddy seedlings of 20 days old, and it should not exceed this. If we use the SRI method, it is possible to increase the yield by 80 kg per 0.160 hectares,” the minister said.
The Agriculture Minister also informed that in 2017-18, the demand for rice in Tripura was 8.26 lakh MT while the state’s population was 39.75 lakh and the production was 7.70 lakh MT, resulting in a shortfall of 56,000 MT.
In 2024-25, with the population reaching 42.22 lakh in Tripura, the demand is now 8.77 lakh MT, while the production stands at 8.30 lakh MT, a shortfall of around 47,000 MT, he pointed out.
“To mitigate this shortfall, the agriculture department has started hybrid rice cultivation. We have increased hybrid paddy cultivation in the state. If any farmer cultivates hybrid paddy as per the government’s decision, then we provide financial assistance as well as support in fertilisers and other inputs,” the Agriculture Minister said.
Noting that the government’s main aim is to increase the income of farmers, Nath said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to make the country a hub for food grain storage so that India can export globally.
“No other country can export rice like India. The foundation of India is agriculture. I have also planted paddy to encourage farmers and the younger generation. There is a chance to earn lakhs of rupees in agriculture, fisheries, and other sectors. There is a huge opportunity in agriculture,” said the Minister.
Nath, who also holds the power portfolio, on Thursday planted paddy himself to encourage farmers and the younger generation at Simna Assembly Constituency in West Tripura district.
--IANS
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