The Food Corporation of India (FCI), for the first time in Tripura, will directly buy rice from paddy growers with Rs 17.50 per kg, around 13 per cent increase compared to last year.
According to an estimate, farmers will get at least Rs four to five more per kg paddy by selling rice to FCI.
The Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department has already taken steps to make the process easier for paddy growers.
The move will prompt entrepreneurs to set up more modern rice mills to convert paddy into rice, said Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Pranajit Singha Roy in Agartala on Monday.
As of now, the State is having 2.55 lakh registered farmers, who are eligible to for the benefit and 4.5 lakh farmers are marginal.
Currently, the State produces 8.55 lakh metric ton paddy while the State requires 9.23 Lakh metric ton meaning a deficit of around 68 lakh metric ton.
The Agriculture Minister further said that a comprehensive plan has been chalked out to increase food grain production to make the State self reliant.
More land will be inducted into agricultural field to increase production, he added.
He also said that he department would go for massive cultivation of black gram in those areas where ganja plantation was rampant till the new government launched an all-out crack down.
The Department has already started distributing 40 metric ton black gram among the interested farmers or youth who want to become self reliant, sources claimed.