Tripura has fixed a target to produce at least 500 kg more Paddy per hectare to make the state self-sufficient in the paddy production during the Kharif season, said Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath on Friday.

Nath during a media interaction at Horticulture Research Centre in Nagicherra, at the outskirts of Agartala on Friday noon said that at present Tripura with 42.22 lakh population, needs 1.04 lakh MT more paddy to become self-sufficient.

Out of 58 blocks of the state, only 30 have achieved self-sufficiency in paddy production and the Agriculture department has set a target to produce 500 kg more paddy per hectare in the coming Kharif season to attain self-sufficiency in rice production.

If the department achieves its target, farmers will be able to produce 100,000 MT additional paddy, and it will eventually make the state self-reliant, said Nath.

He said that at present Tripura has only 30 lakh Kani of land for agricultural activities, and out of which, paddy is grown in only 15 lakh Kani( one kani is equal to approximately 0.405 hectares of land).

Nath said  that Tripura gets overwhelming support from farmer during fortnight long  “Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan” from May 29 to June 12 last  and raised  awareness in villages and Gram Panchayats of all eight districts of the state about all state and centrally sponsored schemes for farmers.

Tripura along with 700 districts of the country largely participated in the campaign and altogether 873 meetings in 956 villages across eight districts of the state completed with participation of 200 farmers, said Nath and added that at least 108 meetings have been conducted in each district of the state.

Nath said during the campaign a total of 1, 95, 264 farmers including 66,809 women farmers actively participated in the campaign.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has initiated this mega campaign with an aim to boost agricultural production, the government has launched the central government’s ambitious nationwide Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan from May 29 at 873 places across eight districts of Tripura

The Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan is a pan-India campaign announced by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in New Delhi recently and it will cover 723 districts in the country, said Nath.

The campaign is about how to hike agricultural production and resources, enhance income sources of farmers and reduce costs involved in agriculture, said Nath .

Every meeting had details discussions over the government facilities for the welfare of farmers and has  also highlighted the steps to be taken for more growth in agriculture sector, said Nath  and added that in all meeting , authorities from the departments of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, KVK, ICAR etc were participated to aware the farmers of the state.

Except Assam, no other Northeastern states are matched with Tripura when it comes to participation of farmers, scientists and public representatives, he said.

On the sidelines of the interaction with the media Ratan Lal Nath also gave cash awards to ten selected farmers including women.