Page 2 - Ministry Of Agriculture

Farm export-import policy must balance grower, consumer interests: Chouhan

This year, rabi production has been good & overall food grain production in 2024-25 is almost 21.6 million tonnes more than what it was last year. We have touched a record high in wheat, Chouhan said

Maharashtra onion farmers reel under slump, unseasonal rains worsen woes

Pre-monsoon rains in several parts of Maharashtra since the beginning of May have increased the worries of the state's onion cultivators, who are already stressed about falling prices of the kitchen staple. Onion crops on thousands of acres have been damaged in the rains, leaving farmers staring at heavy losses, Maharashtra State Onion Producers Farmers Association founder-president Bharat Dighold told PTI. The damage in real terms is yet to be ascertained as the rains continue and panchnamas (spot assessment) haven't been done, he lamented. Onion-producing areas in Konkan, Nashik, Pune, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Latur, Amravati and Nagpur have been witnessing heavy unseasonal rains since May 6. "Unseasonal rains have lashed onion-growing districts of Dhule, Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pune, Solapur, Beed, Dharashiv, Akola, Jalna, Buldhana, and Jalgaon. Prices were already down and have further slumped due to unseasonal rains," he said. He said in th

Recent rain boosts crop output, no major damage reported: Agriculture secy

The recent rainfall following extreme heat conditions across parts of the country has not caused any damage to major crops and is expected to boost summer crop production prospects, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said Wednesday. Speaking about the weather pattern, Chaturvedi noted that sudden rainfall, hailstorms and gusty winds after extreme heat conditions are typically observed during this time of the year. However, he pointed to the "unpredictability and severity" of such weather conditions due to climate change. "No damage has been reported so far due to sudden rainfall. It will benefit summer (zaid) crops such as moong, maize and paddy," Chaturvedi told PTI. The Agriculture Secretary said that hailstorms and gusty winds in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar might have caused ripened mango and litchi fruits to fall. "The state governments are yet to assess it and report to the ministry," he added. On the upcoming kharif season, Chaturvedi said sowing preparation for p

Japan's agriculture minister resigns after inappropriate remark on rice

Japan's agriculture minister said Wednesday that he has submitted his resignation over his inappropriate remark on rice that angered the public. Taku Eto said Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba accepted the resignation. Eto came under fire earlier this week after saying that he never had to buy rice thanks to his supporters' gifts, triggering an uproar at a time when consumers are struggling with rice shortage and skyrocketing price.

India's farm sector growth may hit 3.5% in FY26: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announces farm tech outreach campaign ahead of kharif season and says India can achieve 3.5% growth in agriculture in FY26

Govt aims for poverty-free villages through welfare schemes: Shivraj Singh

Asserting that the Centre is working to ensure 'poverty-free' villages, Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday appealed to the people to take full benefits of all social welfare schemes. Addressing an event in which 55,000 houses built across Assam under the PM Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G) were handed over to the beneficiaries, Chouhan underlined the need for empowering women. He said the BJP-led government at the Centre was working to serve people rather than "grabbing power". He said the government is focusing on ensuring 'poverty-free' villages, and the various welfare schemes will enable it. Lauding Assam's progress in PMAY-G, Chouhan said that 3.76 lakh more houses will be built in the state under the scheme in the current financial year. He also launched the 'Lakhimi Mistri' scheme, aimed at equipping women with masonry skills to enhance employment opportunities. Chouhan also virtually inaugurated 21 knowledge centres built across the state under

Chouhan unveils first genome-edited rice varieties, yield to rise up to 30%

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday unveiled the first genome-edited rice varieties '?DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1'? developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to address challenges of climate change and boost rice yields by up to 30 per cent. "It is an important day for us... Soon, these two new rice varieties will be made available to farmers," Chouhan said, adding that the new varieties will enhance rice yields by 20-30 per cent, conserve water, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation. These varieties are recommended for major rice-growing states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, and West Bengal. Scientists developed these varieties by enhancing two widely grown rice types --? Samba Mahsuri (BPT5204) and MTU1010 (Cottondora Sannalu) --? with improved stress tolerance, yield, and climate ...

Incentives needed for farmers to adopt non-chemical fertilisers: Agri secy

There is a need for structuring a comprehensive and fool-proof set of incentives for farmers to voluntarily adopt non-chemical fertiliser-based farming practices, agriculture secretary Devesh Chaturvedi has said. Addressing an event organised by policy research institute Pahl India Foundation (PIF), Chaturvedi, secretary in the Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, also suggested that natural farming need not to remain confined to a niche market and said it should be mainstreamed so as to make nutritional products available for the common people. Also speaking at the event, former NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said that to achieve nutritional, ecological and health security, a paradigm shift in agriculture is necessary and rigorous empirical research is needed to establish the viability of non-chemical farming in this regard. Harpinder Sandhu of Federation University, Australia, and Aditi Rawat, PIF, presented a methodology for a pan-India study to assess the ...

India, Brazil can boost global food security: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said that joint efforts of India and Brazil could play an important role in strengthening global food security. During a meeting with 27 members of Brazil's agribusiness community in Sao Paulo, Chouhan praised the widespread use of machinery in Brazilian agriculture, particularly in cotton and soybean harvesting, and expressed hope for cooperation in these areas, according to an official statement. The minister discussed possibilities for promoting agricultural trade between the two countries, exchanging improved production techniques, adopting advanced food processing methods and cooperating on biofuel production, technological innovation and supply chain integration. The President of the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce noted that while India-Brazil agricultural trade currently amounts to USD 2-3 billion, it has the potential to reach USD15-20 billion. Brazil mainly exports fertilisers, soybeans, food crops, sugar, meat and ...

Government wheat procurement reaches 6 mn tonnes so far in 2025-26 season

The government has purchased about 6 million tonne of wheat so far in the 2025-26 marketing season that began on April 1, a food ministry official said on Tuesday. The government has set a procurement target of 31 million tonne for the current season, with approximately 20 million tonne expected to come from major producing states Punjab and Haryana, and the remainder from other states. This target is lower despite the agriculture ministry forecasting record wheat production of 115 million tonne in the 2024-25 crop year (July-June). "Much of the quantity procured so far has come from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Procurement in Punjab and Haryana would pick up pace in the coming days," the official said. The crop yields are reported to be good and the procurement target will be achieved, the official added. Government wheat procurement in 2024-25 was 26.6 million tonne against a target of 30-32 million tonne. This exceeded the 26.2 million tonne procured in 2023-24, when the .

Cabinet okays ₹1,600 cr sub-scheme under PMKSY for piped water to farms

The sub-scheme will run on a pilot basis across 78 sites covering almost 80,000 farmers

Govt seeks market access for 10 agricultural products from Israel

India has requested Israel to provide market access for 10 agricultural commodities during a bilateral meeting between Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his Israeli counterpart Avi Dichter on Tuesday here. The products India is seeking access for include onion, potato, garlic, green chilies, turmeric, pineapple, mango, pomegranate, grapes, and okra seeds. "On day-to-day trade, we are going to communicate to both Plant Protection Indian Israel Services (PPIS) in order to make sure that we shall be able to increase merchandise shipments from one side to the another," Dichter told media after the meeting. The two countries also signed a bilateral pact to extend cooperation in agriculture, with a work plan discussed for 2024-26. India expressed particular interest in exporting onions and green chilies to Israel and will send technical information soon, according to sources. India also requested Israel to expedite the process and grant market access to the other eight ...

Centre approves direct procurement of chana, mustard and lentil at MSP

Farmers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat will benefit from this decision, an official statement said

Small tea growers hopeful of being treated at par with farmers: CISTA

Small tea growers (STGs) across the country expressed hope that they would be treated at par with the farmers for availing benefits under various welfare schemes meant for the agriculture sector, president of Confederation of India Small Tea Growers Association (CISTA), Bijoy Gopal Chakraborty said on Monday. There are nearly 2.5 lakh STGs in the country contributing to more than 51 per cent of total tea production owning less than one acre of land. CISTA said that in the 188th report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce, the panel is of the view that STGs should be considered at par with the farmers under various welfare schemes for the agriculture sector like Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and (PMFBY) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) among others. The committee recommended that these recommendations should be taken up with the commerce ministry to extend such essential schemes to the STGs, he said. "We are hopeful that the commerce ministry will respon

Cordial talks held with farmers, next meeting on March 19: Shivraj Chouhan

Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi also attended the meeting on Centre's behalf

Cordial talks held with farmers; next meet in Chandigarh on Mar 19: Chouhan

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said the meeting with farmer leaders was held in a cordial atmosphere and the next round of talks will take place in Chandigarh March 19. A fresh round of talks between the protesting farmers and a central team led by Chouhan to discuss the formers' various demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP on crops, was held here on Saturday evening. Union ministers Pralhad Joshi and Piyush Goyal also attended the meeting on Centre's behalf. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Chouhan said the discussions with the farmers took place in a cordial atmosphere. The central team placed the farmers' welfare programme, which is the priority of the Narendra Modi government, before the farmers during the meeting, Chouhan said. "We heard the views of farmer leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher. A very good discussion took place. The discussions would continue and the next meeting will be held in Chandigarh on Mar

National committee to promote natural farming to be formed: Chouhan

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said a national-level committee will soon be established to promote natural farming across the country. Through this committee, farmers will be made aware of adopting natural farming practices and be given necessary training, he said. If farmers adopt natural farming correctly, it will not only boost their income but also preserve soil fertility, he said, adding that in addition, citizens will benefit from access to vegetables, grains, and fruits free from chemicals and pesticides. He stated this after observing the natural farming practices under the guidance of Gujarat Governor, Acharya Devvrat, in village Kainthala in Kurukshetra district, said an official statement. Prior to this, Chouhan visited Gurukul Kurukshetra, where he examined the Gaushala for indigenous cows, the Gurukul's hostel, and other facilities. Gujarat Governor Devvrat provided detailed insights into the progress and achievements of the Gurukul. The

Agri min Shivraj Chouhan may join central team meeting protesting farmers

A fresh round of talks between protesting farmers and the Centre will be held here on Saturday evening centred around the legal guarantee of minimum support price on crops, among other demands. The meeting between the central team and farmer leaders will take place at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Public Administration in Chandigarh at 6 pm. In the last meeting held on February 14, Union minister Pralhad Joshi had said that Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan would lead the central team for the February 22 meeting with the protesting farmers. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Saturday said a delegation of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha will take part in the meeting with a positive mind. Farmers expect from the government to resolve their issues at the earliest, he said. Farmers had earlier asked for the next meeting be held in Delhi but the government scheduled it in Chandigarh. Pandher said, "Today the sixth round of talks with th

India to harvest bumper wheat crop this year: Agriculture Minister Chouhan

India is likely to harvest bumper wheat crop during the current rabi (winter-sown) season on the back of higher acreage and conducive weather conditions so far, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Friday. India produced a record 1,132.92 lakh tonnes of wheat in 2023-24. "We will have bumper wheat production this year. Crop health is good," Chouhan told reporters here. The area under coverage of wheat stood at 320 lakh hectare in the rabi season of 2024-25 crop year (July-June) as against 315.63 lakh hectare in the preceding year. Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi, too, expected bumper wheat production in 2024-25 on the back of higher sowing areas. He said the crop condition is good so far with normal day-night temperature. On Thursday, the Department of Food and Public Distribution tightened the stock limit on wheat for wholesalers, retailers and processors to keep prices under check and asserted that there is ample stock of food grain in the country.

Govt to upgrade e-NAM platform to promote inter-state trade: Chouhan in RS

Chouhan said agricultural marketing is a state subject and agricultural produce market committees (APMCs) are regulated by the respective State Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act