Agartala, August 06, 2025: In a sharp criticism of the previous Left Front government, Tripura’s Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department Sushanta Chowdhury on Tuesday said that the BJP government has consistently stood by the farmers since coming to power in 2018 procuring over 2.25 lakh metric tonnes of paddy and directly benefiting more than 1.17 lakh farmers.

Addressing the media, Chowdhury said the state government’s decision to directly procure paddy from farmers marked a major policy shift, one that was absent during the Left Front’s prolonged tenure.

“This season’s paddy procurement began on July 26, slightly delayed due to technical issues, but is now underway in full swing. Today, procurement has started in 10 out of the 31 centres across the state and will gradually expand,” he said.

Highlighting the BJP government’s farmer-centric approach, the minister added that a total of ₹446 crore has been transferred to farmers’ bank accounts since 2018. He said the procurement price has also risen significantly from ₹17.50 per kg in 2018 to ₹23 per kg this year.

“Back then, farmers had lost faith in the system. The previous government kept shifting blame to the Centre and did little to resolve the issue. Unlike them, we fulfilled our promise in the very first Cabinet meeting by deciding to procure paddy directly,” Chowdhury asserted.

This season, the state aims to procure around 30,000 metric tonnes of paddy. According to the minister, farmers are now earning significantly higher profits—ranging from ₹70,000 to ₹1 lakh more than earlier.

“The Left Front government never intended to support the farmers. In contrast, we are delivering on our commitments,” he said.