The Tripura government is working relentlessly for the overall development and welfare of farmers, with special emphasis on promoting natural farming to conserve agricultural land, Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Wednesday.
The minister stated that the Centre and the State governments are jointly implementing a total of 284 development projects across Tripura, aimed at ensuring the welfare of the last person in society. He added that most of these initiatives were launched during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing the inaugural session of a one-day district-level workshop on "Khet Bachao Abhiyan" (Save Farmland Campaign) and natural farming at Ragna Higher Secondary School in Dharmanagar under North Tripura district, Nath said the nationwide campaign has been launched to encourage farmers to protect agricultural land by adopting natural farming practices. The campaign began on June 1 and will continue until June 30.
He said that rapid environmental and climatic changes are adversely affecting soil fertility and increasing pollution, making the adoption of natural and organic farming an urgent necessity.
The minister informed that natural farming is currently being practiced on nearly 5,000 hectares of land in Tripura. The government has set a target of expanding the coverage to 16,000 hectares by the end of the current year.
Highlighting the progress made in recent years, Nath said that before 2018, natural farming had virtually no presence in the state, while organic farming was limited to around 2,000 hectares. At present, organic cultivation has expanded to more than 26,000 hectares.
He cautioned that the excessive use of chemical fertilizers is degrading the natural fertility of agricultural land. While many believe chemical fertilizers increase production, he asserted that natural farming can deliver sustainable yields at a lower cost while preserving soil health.
The minister said the government is involving people from all sections of society in the initiative. Public representatives are also being encouraged to adopt natural farming on their own land so that farmers are inspired to follow suit.
Stressing the importance of farmland conservation, Nath said that although India has made significant progress in agriculture, protecting cultivable land remains a key priority. Regular meetings are being held at the gram panchayat, panchayat samiti and zilla parishad levels to promote the initiative, while scientists from the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) are actively participating in the awareness campaign.
The minister further said that the government's objective is to ensure the comprehensive development of farmers and contribute towards transforming India into one of the world's leading developed nations by 2047. He also claimed that India's economy, which ranked 11th globally before 2014, has now risen to the fourth position.
During the programme two local MLAs Jadav Lal Nath and Jawar Chakraborty along with other officials of Agriculture department were also present.