Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath announced that Tripura has achieved a milestone by successfully cultivating organic wheat for the first time, with yields exceeding those of conventional farming methods.
The initiative was carried out with support from the Tripura State Organic Farming Development Agency (TSOFDA) in collaboration with farmer producers companies (FPCs) and farmers across multiple clusters.
Organic wheat cultivation was introduced in multiple areas, including Jirania, Lefunga, Hejamara, Mandai, Belbari, Jampuijala, Tulashikhar, Teliamura, Ompi and Kalyanpur.
Minister Nath said that this development represents a major step forward in crop diversification under organic farming and opens new avenues for expanding organic crop production in the state.
Highlighting the results, Nath noted that conventional wheat yields between 2018-19 and 2024-25 averaged yield of 2.119 metric tonnes per hectare.
In contrast, organic wheat production this year reached 3.03 metric tonnes per hectare.
"This is significantly higher than conventional cultivation and close to the national average of 3.5 MT per hectare," Nath said.
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Farmers who participated in the programme expressed satisfaction with the outcomes and credited institutional backing for enabling the introduction of wheat as a new organic crop in the state.
According to the minister, the initiative is expected to strengthen nutritional security, encourage crop diversification, and improve farmers' incomes. He added that cooperative efforts through FPCs would help scale up food grain production.
Nath further said that the development reflects the growing strength of Tripura's organic farming ecosystem and could lead to expanded cultivation, as well as opportunities in seed production and value-added products such as organic flour.
The minister further added that the move aligns with broader goals of promoting sustainable agriculture, enhancing climate resilience, and opening up better market prospects for farmers.