Tripura plans development of 58 more agricultural markets in 2026-27: Ratan

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Tripura plans to develop 58 additional agricultural markets in the 2026-27 financial year as part of efforts to strengthen rural market infrastructure and improve farmers’ incomes, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath said.

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 Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision was to establish India as a global grain storage hub, adding that the state government was focusing on agricultural infrastructure to increase farmers’ incomes and achieve 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.

The minister said agriculture remained a major pillar of the Indian economy and that the country’s overall development would remain incomplete without progress in the sector.

According to Nath, Tripura has 554 agricultural markets, comprising 84 primary wholesale markets, including 21 agricultural produce markets, and 470 primary or rural markets.

The state government has undertaken infrastructure development projects in 204 markets since 2018-19, with a total allocation of Rs 461.83 crore, he said. Of these projects, 87 have been completed, while work on 117 is underway.

The government is planning to take up development projects for another 58 markets during 2026-27, the minister said, adding that the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department implements schemes based on specific proposals for developing primary rural markets and regulated agricultural markets.

Comparing the scale of investment with the previous government’s tenure, Nath said 71 market infrastructure development projects were undertaken between 2013 and 2017, with an allocation of Rs 20.27 crore.

He expressed hope that the newly inaugurated market at Gajaria would facilitate the buying and selling of agricultural produce and benefit farmers and traders through improved infrastructure.

The government aims to strengthen rural markets to provide better facilities for agricultural trade and support efforts to increase farmers’ earnings, he added.

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