Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath raised a series of demands at the National Agriculture Conference in New Delhi, seeking stronger Central support for the farmers of Tripura, natural farming, crop insurance, irrigation and horticulture.
Key Takeaways
- Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath sought inclusion of “local natural calamities” under PMFBY to support farmers facing crop losses from flooding.
- Tripura asked for 45,000 additional soil health cards and higher allocations under SMAM, PDMC and MIDH.
- The State highlighted potential for avocado and rambutan cultivation and sought stronger support for quality planting material and private investment.
Tripura Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath has sought changes in key Central agriculture schemes to address the State’s farming challenges.
Nath raised the demands during the second day of the National Agriculture Conference – Rabi Campaign 2026 in New Delhi.
He called for the inclusion of “local natural calamities” in the guidelines of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). He said the change would help paddy farmers who suffer crop losses when heavy rain inundates agricultural fields.
Nath said farmers currently do not receive insurance benefits for such losses. He noted that large-scale damage to paddy crops can occur during heavy rainfall.
He said Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has shown interest in the proposal.
The conference brought together Central and State agriculture ministers and senior officials. Ministers of State for Agriculture Ram Nath Thakur and Bhagirath Choudhary also attended the event. Agriculture Secretary Atish Chandra and officials from the Centre and other States took part as well.
Rabi and Kharif cultivation expands
Nath said the Centre provided funds to Tripura according to the State’s Action Plan this year.
He also highlighted cultivation figures from the previous Rabi season. Farmers grew hybrid paddy across 25,000 hectares. Rabi pulses covered 9,500 hectares, while Rabi oilseeds covered 9,700 hectares. Farmers expect to harvest these crops during summer.
The Minister also outlined the scale of cultivation under the Chief Minister’s Integrated Crop Management Programme during the current Kharif season.
The programme covered 37,500 hectares. Hybrid paddy accounted for 27,500 hectares. Farmers cultivated pulses across 15,000 hectares and oilseeds across 8,000 hectares. Aromatic rice covered 2,000 hectares, while summer vegetables covered 1,000 hectares.
Nath also said the State Government is working on the Farmer’s Registry, Digital Crop Survey and the National Framework for Fertilizer Sale.
More support sought for natural farming
Tripura currently has 16,400 hectares under natural farming, involving 38,000 farmers, Nath said.
He called for stronger support to bio-formulations and Bio Input Resource Centres (BRCs). He said BRCs need assistance for marketing, packaging and branding.
Nath also proposed a Natural Seed Grower Consortium.
He said Tripura has successfully implemented the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCD-NER). The State has a significant volume of organic produce and exports it to Germany, Dubai and Bangladesh.
The Minister pointed out that 96% of Tripura’s farmers are small and marginal farmers. He requested the Centre to extend the scheme to all North-Eastern States.
Demand for higher farm scheme allocations
Nath sought increased allocations under the Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) and Per Drop More Crop (PDMC).
He said additional support would help Tripura strengthen farm mechanisation and irrigation.
The Minister also requested 45,000 additional soil health cards for the State.
He further sought a higher allocation under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) for the Area Expansion Programme.
Nath proposed raising the minimum annual allocation from 20% to 35%.
Focus on avocado and rambutan cultivation
The Minister highlighted Tripura’s potential to grow foreign fruit varieties such as avocado and rambutan.
However, he said the State lacks sufficient quality planting material for these crops.
Nath called for Central Government research to speed up expansion of the programme at the field level. He said research stations and recognised nurseries are interested in producing planting material.
He also pointed to the scope for additional State funding under MIDH. For projects approved by the Centre of Excellence in Tripura, the State Government can incur an additional cost of up to 50% over the MIDH scheme allocation.
Nath therefore sought an increase in the MIDH grant to 75%.
He also proposed raising the private-sector share under the Post Harvest Management Component from 50% to 75% from the reserve fund. He said the move would help attract private enterprises to the sector.
