Agartala, Oct 12 (PTI) Tripura plans to develop infrastructure at 58 additional agricultural markets during the 2026-27 financial year to strengthen rural facilities, improve agricultural marketing and enhance farmers’ incomes, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Monday.
The minister made the announcement while inaugurating a two-storey rural market at Gajaria in South Tripura district, constructed at a cost of Rs 4.51 crore.
Nath said the state government was prioritising agricultural infrastructure in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India a global grain storage hub and achieving self-sufficiency in foodgrain production.
“About 70 per cent of the people in our state depend directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods. Therefore, achieving self-reliance in agriculture means taking the state forward on the path of self-reliance. Development of agricultural infrastructure is essential to achieve this goal,” he said.
Describing agriculture as a major pillar of the Indian economy, Nath said the country’s overall development would remain incomplete without progress in the sector. He stressed the need to modernise market infrastructure to facilitate agricultural trade, provide better facilities for farmers and strengthen the rural economy.
Tripura has 554 agricultural markets, including 84 primary wholesale markets, of which 21 are agricultural produce markets, and 470 primary or rural markets, the minister said.
Since 2018-19, the state government has undertaken infrastructure development projects at 204 markets with a total allocation of Rs 461.83 crore. Of these, 87 projects have been completed, while work on the remaining 117 is underway, he said.
The government plans to take up development projects at another 58 markets in 2026-27. The Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department implements schemes based on proposals for developing primary rural markets and regulated agricultural markets, Nath added.
Comparing investments across different periods, the minister said 71 market development projects were undertaken between 2013 and 2017, with an allocation of Rs 20.27 crore.
Expressing hope that the newly inaugurated Gajaria market would facilitate agricultural trade, Nath said the improved infrastructure would benefit farmers and traders by providing better facilities for buying and selling produce.
He said the government’s focus on rural markets was aimed at modernising agricultural marketing and creating better opportunities for farmers to sell their produce.
The planned expansion of market infrastructure is expected to support agricultural growth and contribute to Tripura’s efforts to achieve self-reliance in foodgrain production, he added.
