Tripura is gearing up for a major agricultural push with plans to cultivate fragrant rice and almonds on 1,000 hectares of land. The state’s Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Ratan Lal Nath, made the announcement during a one-day review meeting at the State Agricultural Research Center in Arundhatinagar.
The meeting, organized by the Department of Agriculture and Horticulture, focused on various programs and initiatives for the upcoming Kharif season. Minister Nath highlighted the Chief Minister’s Integrated Crop Management Program (MICMP), which aims to cultivate high-yielding varieties of rice on 47,946 hectares with financial assistance for farmers. Additionally, hybrid rice cultivation will cover 25,000 hectares to increase yield through modern agricultural practices.
In addition to rice cultivation, the department plans to cultivate fragrant rice on 500 hectares, Mashkalai on 1,000 hectares, and demonstrate almond cultivation on another 500 hectares. The horticulture sector is also set to see significant growth, with targets for new orchards, flower cultivation, spice cultivation, and palm oil plantation.
Minister Nath revealed that over 7 lakh palm oil seedlings have been prepared in nurseries across the state, with 4,000 farmers set to receive support for potato cultivation during the upcoming Rabi season. Pineapple cultivation using a staggered system across 2,000 hectares is also on the agenda.
As part of the Urban Horticulture Project, the department aims to distribute coconut seedlings to 5,000 urban households. Minister Nath instructed officials to expedite the selection of beneficiaries so that Kharif season seeds can be distributed to farmers by June 30. This ambitious agricultural push is expected to boost productivity and income for farmers in Tripura.
