Agartala, Aug 20 : Tripura Agriculture minister Ratan Lal Nath on Wednesday inaugurated a statue of M S Swaminathan, considered the father of the green revolution in the country, at the Agricultural Research Centre in West Tripura district.
While speaking to reporters, the minister said the Narendra Modi government has been following the path shown by Swaminathan in attaining self-sufficiency in agriculture.
“The result is that India has become the second-highest paddy-producing country and is the first when it comes to export of paddy to foreign countries. Although China produces the highest paddy in the world, it stands second in paddy export”, he said.
Asserting that the state is focusing on attaining self-reliance in agricultural production, Nath said 31 out of 58 blocks of the state have attained self-sufficiency in paddy production.
“We are trying to promote integrated agriculture in the state because only paddy growing will not serve the ultimate purpose of all-around development of farmers”, he said.
Nath stated the farmers are now producing paddy along with vegetables, pulses, animal resources, agro forestry and fisheries.
“If agriculture fails not only farmers, the state economy will also suffer. That’s why the government is leaving no stone unturned to provide modern techniques and high-yielding varieties of seeds for better production”, he said.
Nath urged the farmers to keep in contact with the offices of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare department to get proper guidance to increase productivity. (PTI)
