The Horticulture and Soil Conservation Department has undertaken a series of steps to expand new areas of orange cultivation and increase production in the hilly areas, along with boosting the cultivation of flowers.

Horticulture and Soil Conservation Minister Ratan Lal Nath informed this today after inaugurating the Centre for Floriculture and Landscape.

In addition, he also inaugurated the State Level Orange Festival 2025 at the Badharghat Progeny Orchard, Agartala. The Minister said that agriculture is the foundation of a state and the country.

“Around 46% contribution comes from farmers. The rest comes from tourism, the service sector, etc. There was a time when people started ignoring agriculture, but now they have started it again. One farmer from Jirania sells Malta produced on his own land at Rs 100 per piece—mosambi, Vietnamese mosambi. Orange is also cultivated here, including in Jampui Hills, Sakhang, and Killa. There were no other places where orange was cultivated,” said the Minister.

He informed that after the present government came to power, the government has been helping farmers in every possible way.

“We want employment in every home. Earlier, there were no such steps to cultivate onion. But our agriculture scientists have proved that Tripura can also cultivate a good amount of onion. We have also started cultivating ARC potato, which has heavy demand among farmers. This year here in Badharghat, we have started the Orange Festival. Two times it was held in Killa. We also have a flower garden which was once full of forest. After our government came, we started cultivating flowers for 12 months. Over 100 orange farmers have come here. Our main aim is to help the farmers,” said the Minister.

The Minister further informed that at present, the area under orange cultivation in the state is 3,846 hectares and the production is 16,538 MT, while the average production of orange in the state is 4,300 kg per hectare.

“As per the advice of the expert team, the Department of Horticulture and Soil Conservation has taken steps to expand new areas of orange cultivation and increase production in the hilly areas of Baramura in West Tripura, Khowai and Gomati districts, and Sakhan Hills in Dhalai district,” he said.

He said that during 2018–19 to 2025–26, 353 hectares of new area have been brought under orange cultivation under various projects. Out of this, 80 hectares have been brought under orange cultivation this year.

From 2018–19 to 2025–26, 228 hectares of old orchards have been revived at Rs 2,000 per hectare. Out of this, 31 hectares of old orchards have been revived this year.

MLA Mina Rani Sarkar; Apurba Roy, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare; Phanibhushan Jamatia, Director, Department of Farmers' Welfare; and Dipak Kumar Das, Director, Horticulture and Soil Conservation, were present.