Tripura minister warns: ‘If agriculture stops, development will collapse’

Tripura Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath on July 30 stressed the critical role of farmers in sustaining the country’s economy, asserting that development would come to a halt if agricultural production stopped.

“If farmers stop producing rice, vegetables and other agricultural products, development will not be possible and everything will collapse,” Nath said while laying the foundation stone and inaugurating three agriculture-related projects in Gomati district.

Describing farmers as the backbone of the country, the minister said the government was working to improve their welfare and ensure that the benefits of various schemes reached them directly without the involvement of middlemen.

“Farmers work day and night under the scorching heat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always described farmers as ‘Annadata’. If agriculture is destroyed, no development will take place and everything will stop,” he said.

Nath said the government was providing fertilisers, subsidies and other support directly to farmers, adding that public awareness was essential to ensure that more people benefited from government welfare schemes.

He also highlighted the contribution of agriculture to the state’s economy, saying that agricultural production had enabled the country to export several farm products. “Our main resource is human resources, and farmers play a vital role in strengthening the economy,” he added.

The minister said Tripura currently has 554 agricultural markets, including 84 primary wholesale markets. Of these, 21 are agricultural produce markets, while 470 function as primary or rural markets.

Highlighting the government’s investment in market infrastructure, Nath said 204 market development projects were undertaken between 2018-19 and 2025-26, with an allocation of around Rs 461.83 crore.

In comparison, infrastructure development work was carried out in 71 markets between 2013 and 2017, with an expenditure of about Rs 20.27 crore, he said.

The minister maintained that strengthening agricultural infrastructure and ensuring better market access would improve farmers’ incomes and contribute to the overall development of Tripura.