Bengal logs record paddy production at 256.53L MT

Kolkata: Bengal has once again emerged as the leading paddy-producing state, registering a record-breaking output of 256.53 lakh metric tons in the 2024–25 financial year.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the achievement on social media, calling it a “historic milestone” for the state’s agricultural sector. She praised the resilience of Bengal’s farmers, who achieved this feat despite challenges like Cyclone Dana and widespread floods.

Banerjee credited farmer-friendly policies such as Krishak Bandhu, Bangla Shasya Bima, khajna waiver, mechanisation support, Sufal Bangla, and assured procurement for enabling this growth. She noted a significant rise in the production of maize, pulses, oilseeds, and aromatic rice since her government assumed power in 2011 and expressed heartfelt gratitude to the state’s farmers and agricultural workers.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) stepped up its criticism of the BJP-led Central government, alleging that over one lakh farmers committed suicide between 2014 and 2022. Citing data, TMC claimed that Maharashtra alone accounted for 4,248 suicides in 2022, nearly 38 per cent of India’s total.

The party also highlighted a 42.13 per cent spike in farmer suicides in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh since 2021, accusing the Centre of “genocide by neglect” and failing to protect the nation’s agricultural backbone.