Agartala: The Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department has intensified efforts to make Tripura self-sufficient in key crops, including potato, onion and paddy. Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath shared the update while inaugurating a Project-cum-Workshop on Rabi Onion, jointly organized by the College of Agriculture, Tripura, and NABARD’s Tripura Regional Office.
Speaking at the event, the minister said that agriculture contributes nearly 46% to the state’s development, making it the backbone of the economy. “Our main aim is self-reliance. Among the eight districts, three are already self-sufficient in paddy, and Khowai and Dhalai are set to achieve the same this year,” he said. He added that the government is now prioritizing vegetable, potato and onion production to further reduce dependency on imports.
Nath highlighted the growing success of potato cultivation in the state, attributing improved output to the use of Automatic Ridge Cultivation (ARC) techniques. He noted that potato, tomato and onion remain essential household commodities, and strengthening their production is a major focus of the government.
On onion cultivation, the minister said it is no longer “unthinkable” for Tripura. Over the past four years, Tripura Agricultural College, in collaboration with NABARD and the Agriculture Department, has conducted trials of 12 Rabi onion varieties across three seasons. The positive results led NABARD’s Agartala Centre to approve a dedicated Rabi onion cultivation project aimed at enhancing farmers’ income and improving rural livelihoods.
“With proper scientific practices, Rabi onion production can be significantly increased across the state,” Nath said, expressing confidence that the initiative would help bridge the demand-supply gap and reduce Tripura’s reliance on onion imports.
The workshop was attended by senior officials including Dr. Fani Bhushan Jamatia, Director of Agriculture; Deepak Das, Director of Horticulture and Soil Conservation; Anil Kotmire, General Manager, NABARD; Pradeep Baran Roy of ICAR-IMC; and Rajiv Debbarma, Mission Director, MODCDNER, along with other dignitaries.
