Kolkata, Aug 12 (PTI) The West Bengal government is looking to address longstanding problems faced by farmers, including inadequate prices, limited access to markets outside the state and gaps in storage and food processing infrastructure, Agriculture Minister Dudh Kumar Mondal said on Wednesday.
At a felicitation programme and conclave on rural development organised by the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) here, Mondal said ensuring remunerative prices was essential to keep farmers interested in agriculture and sustain the state’s wider economy.“Without farmers, the overall economy of West Bengal will not develop,” he said, stressing the need for timely availability of seeds, fertilisers and farm machinery at reasonable prices.
The government also wants to promote greater mechanisation and modernise farming practices, Mondal said, pointing to the state’s fertile soil, abundant water and availability of agricultural land.Several schemes were available and the government was ready to partner with the farming community, he added.Panchayat and Rural Development and Agricultural Marketing Minister Dilip Ghosh said the state needed to improve market access for key crops, particularly potato, paddy and jute.Potato growers have been struggling to find markets outside West Bengal, he said, adding that the government was discussing measures with the concerned authorities, including possible transport and logistics subsidies to facilitate movement of the crop to other states.Although the quality of farm produce in West Bengal was good, farmers often lacked access to markets beyond the state, Ghosh said, underlining the need to strengthen food processing and storage infrastructure.He also pointed to the absence of a multipurpose cold storage facility in the state, while noting that smaller cold chains existed.Kisan Mandis, he said, had so far remained largely non-functional.Paddy, jute and potato are among the state’s major crops and farmers producing them should receive remunerative prices, Ghosh said, adding that fertiliser prices had improved and “new change” was under way in the state.Earlier, MCCI Senior Vice President Munish Jhajharia said the Panchayati Raj system in West Bengal comprised 3,317 gram panchayats, 341 panchayat samitis and 20 zilla parishads.He said the state government’s 2026-27 Budget had earmarked around Rs 16,000 crore for rural development, while the Union Rural Development Ministry had approved central assistance of Rs 8,500 crore for rural programmes in the state.West Bengal ranks first in the country in rice, jute and vegetable production and is also a major tea producer, with agriculture employing around half of the state’s workforce, Jhajharia said.The session concluded with a vote of thanks by MCCI Vice President Anirudh Jhunjhunwala, who stressed the need to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system for rural welfare. PTI BSM NNThis report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
