December 15, 2018: Eyeing to double farmers’ income by 2022, BJP-led Tripura Government has made significant move as State farmers will now be able to sell paddy at MSP and FCI will procure paddy from the State farmers.
For the first time in the history of Tripura, the Food Corporation of India (FCI), as persuaded by the BJP-IPFT government, started procuring paddy at Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs. 1750 per quintal from the farmers on Saturday.
Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb formally kicked off the two-month long procurement programme by FCI in Kamalpur town hall under Dhalai district. In his inaugural speech, Deb said, “Farmers are the ‘backbone of our country’ and the Centre already took a series of plans for upliftment of socio-economic status of the farmers. And, the state government also initiated the plan so that FCI could purchase paddy from state’s farmers at minimum support price. Now, the paddy growers of Tripura will receive huge benefit.”
While hailing the decision of the FCI, he said the state government would soon start providing pulses and other essential items also through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Agriculture minister Pranajit Singha Roy said, “To achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to double the farmers’ income by 2022, for the first time the FCI started procuring rice at the minimum support price. The state government is committed to improve the financial condition of the farmers.”
Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs minister Manoj Kanti Deb said the state government is working tirelessly so that all sections of people could receive the facilities from various services.
“A plan has been initiated to transform Kamalpur into a smart city,” he added.
In his welcome address, Director to Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department, said the FCI would procure paddy from ten places in the state in next two months and in the first phase, the FCI is set to purchase 30,000 MT of paddy from state’s farmers.
MLA Ashis Das, MLA Parimal Debbarma, FCI’s north-east zonal executive director Ashotosh Kumar Sinha and DM Dhalai Vikas Singh were also present in the programme.
