Agartala, April 16: Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha has proposed comprehensive projects worth ₹969 crore to make Tripura self-reliant in milk, egg, meat, and fish production. He made the announcement during a virtual meeting of the High-Level Task Force chaired by Union DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, with participation from Chief Ministers of North Eastern states.
Dr. Saha emphasized the nutritional importance of milk, eggs, meat, and fish, particularly in addressing protein and micronutrient deficiencies in the state. Highlighting a milk production deficit of 0.35 lakh metric tonnes in 2023–24, he noted the state’s focus on Artificial Insemination (AI), including the use of sex-sorted semen (SSS), which has resulted in nearly 50,000 female calves over three years.
He proposed the creation of 8 dairy farms in each district, each housing 200 cows, at a cost of ₹80 crore, alongside ₹7 crore for strengthening the Gomati Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd with NDDB’s support.
In the egg sector, with Tripura leading the Northeast at 87 eggs per capita annually, Dr. Saha credited the Mukhya Mantri Prani Sampad Bikas Yojana. To further boost production, he proposed ₹15 crore for mini hatcheries in Gram Panchayats and ₹6 crore for upgrading six government poultry and duckery farms.
For the meat sector, he suggested a ₹17 crore meat processing unit and a ₹30 crore automated feed mixing plant. Additionally, he proposed a state-of-the-art disease diagnostic lab in Tripura, citing the region’s vulnerability to trans-boundary diseases due to its proximity to Bangladesh.
To enhance fish production, Dr. Saha outlined multiple projects totaling ₹814 crore over five years, including new water bodies, integrated and composite fish farming, a brood bank, and modern fish seed markets.
