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Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Saturday announced that the exemption on mandi (market) fee for rice exporters will be extended for another year, a move aimed at boosting rice exports in the state. Addressing the second edition of the India International Rice Summit at a private resort here, Sai said the extension would be significant for exporters and farmers, and strengthen Chhattisgarh's position in the global rice market, a government statement said. He said the summit was significant as it had brought together buyers from 12 countries and embassy delegations from six nations, reflecting growing international interest in the state's rice sector, it said. The participation of global stakeholders would help Chhattisgarh gain wider recognition in the international rice trade, he added. Chhattisgarh was rightly described as the "rice bowl" of India by earlier generations and the state continues to live up to that identity, with rice forming an integral part of its ...
India has become the world's largest rice producer, beating China, with a total output of 150.18 million tonnes, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Sunday, as he released 184 new varieties of 25 crops. These new high-yielding seed varieties would boost crop production and enhance farmers' income, he said, while directing the ministry officials to ensure that these new varieties reach farmers quickly. The minister unveiled 184 improved varieties of 25 field crops developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research at an event held in the national capital, according to an official statement. Addressing the event, Chouhan said the country has achieved great success in the development of high-yielding seeds. Since the gazette notification process began in 1969, a total of 7,205 crop varieties have been notified, including rice, wheat, sorghum, maize, pulses, oilseeds, fiber crops, among others. Chouhan informed that 3,236 high-yielding varieties have been ..
India's agriculture sector closed 2025 with a projection of record foodgrain output surpassing last year's 357.73 million tonnes (MT) despite US tariffs disrupting farm exports, while landmark GST reforms delivered input cost relief, and stakeholders await passage of key seed and pesticide bills in 2026 to tackle fake inputs. The year showed both resilience and fragility -- GST rate reductions delivered noticeable cost savings, while American tariff wall compelled market diversification, officials said. "We are hopeful of achieving record foodgrain production this year 2025-26 (July-June). Kharif output remained positive and rabi sowing is progressing well," Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi told PTI. Above-normal southwest monsoons boosted kharif sowing, with the agriculture ministry's first advance estimate projected kharif foodgrain output at a record 173.33 MT for 2025-26, up from 169.4 MT in 2024-25. Rice production is predicted to exceed 124.5 MT, with maize at 28.3 MT.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday termed chemical fertilisers as the root cause of many diseases and made a strong pitch for natural farming, saying it not only increases farmers' income but also saves water and promotes public health. Addressing a Farmers' Conference held here, Shah said the government was developing a "complete system" - from soil and laboratory testing, certification to packaging - to ensure that the agricultural produce of the country's farmers reaches global level in a better way as there is a huge market for natural farming in the world. "Chemical fertilisers are the root cause of many diseases today. Natural farming is an approach that doesn't reduce farmers' income, but instead makes their produce pure," he said. Natural farming is a traditional practice that people have forgotten over the time. A dung and urine of a single indigenous cow can help cultivate 21 acres of land, he said. "It (natural farming) increases income, saves water, and relieves
The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) has not submitted any evaluation report on the adoption of nano urea despite the fertiliser being in the market for over four years, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Responding to a written query by BJP MP Narhari Amin from Gujarat, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel said IFFCO has not sent any evaluation report regarding the adoption of nano urea. Meanwhile, sales of the product continue to lag behind production, with 2.49 crore bottles remaining unsold since its launch in February 2021. Since the launch, total 14.11 crore bottles (500 ml each) of nano urea have been produced nationwide up to November 30, 2025. During the same period, 11.62 crore bottles have been sold across the country, she said in the Rajya Sabha. In the current fiscal (2025-26), production stood at 1.67 crore bottles till November 30, while sales were lower at 1.38 crore bottles. However, in 2024-25, sales outpaced producti
Farmers across Maharashtra who missed e-crop survey registration will be allowed to register through an offline process till January 15 to help them sell their produce at government procurement centres, said Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Saturday. He made the announcement in the legislative assembly while replying to a calling attention motion, a procedure that allows a member to bring an urgent public matter to a minister's notice. The online e-crop survey portal has been closed and cannot be reopened due to technical constraints, but the government has decided to open an offline window so that genuine farmers do not suffer losses, said Bawankule. Maharashtra's e-crop survey, known as E-Pik Pahani', allows farmers to self-report their crop details via a mobile application. Bawankule said farmers who failed to complete the e-crop survey registration due to technical issues or other reasons can submit offline applications to the concerned authorities till January 15.
The government will extend its central scheme for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) for another five years from 2026-31, addressing gaps that have limited the scaling up of operations, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said on Friday. Addressing the CII FPO Summit here, Chaturvedi said the scheme, launched in February 2020 with a target of forming 10,000 FPOs, needs to be extended for the next finance commission cycle. "About 10,000 FPOs have been formed but they have to be handheld. Many of the FPOs have been formed in the last two years, so we have to handhold them with community-based organisations and implementing agencies," he explained to PTI on the sidelines of the event. The ministry has identified practical difficulties in making FPOs successful, including capacity building and access to capital loans. "We will try to incorporate these in the new scheme so that they become very efficient, energetic and dynamic in terms of giving returns to the farmers," he said in