The state government of Tripura has announced the selection of 59 Agriculture Officers (Grade-1) through the Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC), with 21 of these positions filled by women officers following the 33 percent reservation policy. The offers will be distributed soon, according to State Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath. This announcement was part of a broader briefing in which Nath detailed a substantial aid package of Rs 23.21 crore to support approximately 81,000 farmers facing huge losses due to cyclones Midhili and Michaung.
The distribution program for the aid package will be held on July 4 at the Jolaibari area in South Tripura district. Nath highlighted several initiatives undertaken by the government to support farmers in the state, explaining that Cyclone Midhili, which occurred on November 16 and 18, and Cyclone Michaung, which struck from December 6 to 8 last year, wreaked havoc on farmers’ crops, resulting in significant losses. Approximately 58,210 farmers were affected, with 23,171 hectares of land bearing fruit losses. The Department of Agriculture has allocated Rs 14.58 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to compensate these affected farmers, based on a compensation rate of Rs 8,500 per hectare.
In addition to this, Nath mentioned that the Horticulture Department has sanctioned Rs 7.38 crore for 20,078 affected farmers whose tomato cultivation was destroyed due to the cyclones, also under the SDRF scheme. The Agriculture Minister further stated that the department had already sought compensation under the SDRF scheme for farmers impacted by heavy rains on May 28, 2024.
Announcing a major boost in agricultural trade, Nath said that the state’s agricultural produce garnered attention during a buyer-seller conference in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He announced that the Tripura government was also planning to organize similar conferences within the state to further promote agricultural trade.
Talking about the demand for Tripura’s delicious variety of pineapple, including the GI-tagged “Queen” variety, Nath mentioned that on Wednesday, a total of 30 tonnes of Kew-variety pineapples were dispatched for Bangalore, enhancing trade prospects.
