Agartala, Mar 30 (UNI) The leading e-commerce platform for processed food manufacturing companies like Big Basket and Mother Dairy have begun procurement of organic agricultural produce from Tripura, said Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath.

Besides, National Cooperative Organics Ltd (NCOL), a national organisation for promoting the aggregation, branding, and marketing of organic products, has also turned its eyes on Tripura and purchased organic products at a lucrative price.

Addressing the opening ceremony of a newly licensed Farmers Producer Company (FPC), Nath said, “After the BJP came to power, as many as 40 FPCs were established in different parts of the state. These entities have exclusive rights for trading, storing and exporting goods directly from the farmers.”

Nath stated, “We have set a target to bring around 5,000 hectares of land under natural farming, and for the first time, GI Tag for the state’s Sobri Banana and Scented Lemon has been under process. If you use chemical fertilizers in the agricultural field, it will badly harm the future.”

Before 2018, only 2,000 hectares of land were used for organic cultivation, and from 2018 till now, around 20,160 hectares and 19,916 farmers are engaged in it, he pointed out, adding, “We are focusing on increasing production, we must also stress natural and organic farming. We must keep the soil and land healthy by providing soil health cards, and now we are also stressing scientific agriculture.”

The Minister said that India is now self-sufficient in crops, milk, and fish but is facing a shortage of edible oil, which needs to be procured from outside the country and added, “Therefore, we are also stressing on cultivation of oil seeds, besides other crops.”

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