Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday asserted that the state government has achieved its target of doubling farmers' income, saying the average monthly income of farmers has increased from around Rs 6,000 in the 2015-16 baseline year to over Rs 13,000 through sustained policy interventions and agricultural reforms.
Addressing the 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' (save the fields campaign) programme at Bamutia in West Tripura district and later speaking to the media, Saha said the achievement reflects the government's continuous efforts to strengthen the agriculture sector while safeguarding cultivable land and promoting sustainable farming practices.
"We had set a target of doubling farmers' income, and we have achieved it. If you take the baseline year of 2015-16, farmers' income was around Rs 6,000. Today, it has crossed Rs 13,000," the Chief Minister said. Responding to queries about the conversion of agricultural land, Saha made it clear that the government is firmly committed to protecting cultivable land and will not permit the indiscriminate diversion of farmland for non-agricultural purposes.
He said they do not want agricultural land diverted for other purposes, but that ease of doing business is also important. He added that they are trying to strike a balance between industrial development and protecting agricultural land. The Khet Bachao Abhiyan is a nationwide campaign launched by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to protect soil health and promote sustainable farming.
The Chief Minister said industrial projects should, as far as possible, be established on available unused land in designated industrial zones rather than on fertile agricultural land. He added that every proposal involving land use would remain under the government's scrutiny to ensure that the interests of farmers and the agriculture sector are fully protected.
Highlighting the significance of the nationwide Khet Bachao Abhiyan, Saha said the campaign reflects the Central government's growing concern over the degradation of cultivable land and the steady decline in soil fertility caused by the excessive and indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers over several decades.
He said the campaign, launched by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from Raisen district in Madhya Pradesh, is being implemented under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the active participation of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, ICAR, agricultural scientists and farmers across the country.
Describing agriculture as the backbone of India's economy, food security and rural livelihoods, the Chief Minister said nearly 60 per cent of the country's workforce is directly or indirectly dependent on the agriculture sector. He noted that PM Modi has consistently prioritised improving farmers' incomes, restoring soil health, and enhancing agricultural productivity through a series of farmer-centric schemes, scientific interventions, and technological innovations.
Saha cautioned that the excessive use of chemical fertilisers such as urea and diammonium phosphate (DAP) has gradually depleted soil organic matter, adversely affecting its long-term productivity and sustainability. He stressed that protecting soil health is essential to ensuring sustainable agriculture, maintaining ecological balance and guaranteeing food security for future generations.
He further urged farmers to adopt balanced nutrient management, scientific farming methods and eco-friendly agricultural practices to preserve soil fertility while enhancing crop productivity. However, modern agriculture is no longer focused solely on economic gains through chemical-dependent farming, Saha said, adding that it also carries the responsibility and accountability to ensure a sustainable future for future generations.