Tripura Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath has sought enhanced central support for the state’s agriculture and horticulture sectors, including higher allocations under key schemes and changes to the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) guidelines to cover crop losses caused by localised natural calamities.

Nath made the demands while addressing the second day of the National Agriculture Conference-Rabi Campaign 2026 in New Delhi. Union Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired the session, which was attended by Agriculture Ministers and senior officials from various states.

Nath said the Centre had provided funds to Tripura as per the state’s action plan for the current year and appreciated the support extended to farmers.

He said that during the previous Rabi season, hybrid paddy was cultivated on 25,000 hectares, while Rabi pulses and oilseeds covered 9,500 hectares and 9,700 hectares, respectively.

During the current Kharif season, 37,500 hectares have been brought under the Chief Minister’s Integrated Crop Management Programme, including 27,500 hectares of hybrid paddy, 2,000 hectares of aromatic rice, 15,000 hectares of pulses, 8,000 hectares of oilseeds and 1,000 hectares of summer vegetables, the minister said.

Nath also informed the conference that the state government was working on the Farmer’s Registry, Digital Crop Survey and the National Framework for Fertiliser Sale.

Seeking greater central assistance, Nath called for increased allocations under the Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM) and Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) schemes to strengthen farm mechanisation and irrigation facilities in Tripura.

He said paddy-growing areas in the state frequently suffer crop losses due to inundation during heavy rains, but affected farmers often do not receive insurance benefits.

Nath therefore sought the inclusion of “local natural calamities” in the PMFBY guidelines to ensure coverage for crop losses caused by incidents such as localised flooding.

He also sought 45,000 additional soil health cards for farmers in Tripura and urged the Centre to increase the minimum allocation for the annual action plan under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) for the Area Expansion Programme from 20 per cent to 35 per cent.

Highlighting Tripura’s potential for cultivating exotic fruits such as avocado and rambutan, Nath said the availability of quality planting material remained inadequate. He sought greater central support for research and for ensuring the availability of quality planting material through recognised nurseries and research stations.

The minister further sought an increase in the central share for the Post Harvest Management component from 50 per cent to 75 per cent from the reserve fund to encourage greater private investment in the sector.

Speaking about natural farming, Nath said around 16,400 hectares in Tripura were currently under natural farming, involving approximately 38,000 farmers.

He stressed the need to promote bio-formulations as an important input for demonstrations under various schemes and sought support for Bio Input Resource Centres (BRCs) for marketing, packaging and branding.

Nath also proposed the formation of a Natural Seed Grower Consortium.

He said the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCD-NER) scheme had been successfully implemented in Tripura and that the state had substantial quantities of organic produce being exported to countries including Germany, Dubai and Bangladesh.

Union Ministers of State for Agriculture Ram Nath Thakur and Bhagirath Choudhary, Agriculture Ministers from various states and senior officials also attended the two-day conference in New Delhi.