Agartala, March 24, 2026: Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath on Tuesday said Tripura exported organic products worth Rs 8.79 crore during the last three years and the state government has set a target to bring 50,000 hectares under organic and natural farming in the coming years.
Replying to a discussion in the Assembly, Nath said organic farming gained momentum in the state particularly after the COVID-19 period, when awareness about health and chemical-free agricultural practices increased.
He said only 24 per cent of Tripura’s total land area is cultivable, but the government is making efforts to expand organic farming without affecting food security.
Under the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for the North Eastern Region, launched in 2016-17 with 100 per cent central funding, organic cultivation in the state began on around 2,000 hectares and has now expanded to nearly 26,500 hectares, the minister said.
Earlier, organic farming in Tripura was confined mainly to scented rice, turmeric, pineapple, ginger and chilli for domestic use, but at present 26,884 farmers are engaged in organic cultivation, he said.
According to the minister, the number of organic clusters in the state increased from 132 to 1,276, while Farmer Producer Companies rose from four to 49.
A variety of crops including bird’s eye chilli, Gondhoraj lemon, sesame, jackfruit and orange are now being cultivated under organic farming, he added.
Nath said Tripura has developed market linkages with buyers outside the state, including BigBasket in Kolkata and Mother Dairy in Delhi, besides partnerships in Sikkim and Bengaluru for marketing produce in domestic and international markets.
During the last three years, the state exported 554 metric tonnes of pineapple, 501 metric tonnes of ginger and 52.5 metric tonnes of turmeric, along with smaller quantities of scented rice, chilli and lemon, he said.
The minister said the government has also provided transport vehicles to farmer producer companies and set up 10 organic retail outlets to strengthen marketing infrastructure.
