Page 2 - Ministry Of Agriculture

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

India's push for self-reliance in palm oil gets a boost with NMEO-OP

NMEO-OP aims to enhance palm oil production while securing farmers' livelihoods

Next round of talks with agitating farmers to be held on Feb 14: Govt

The Centre on Tuesday informed Parliament that the sixth round of discussions with agitating farmers in Punjab and Haryana will be held on February 14. In the previous round held last month, the government had proposed a five-year plan for the procurement of certain crops at Minimum Support Prices (MSP), but did not reach a consensus on the farmers' broader demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP. Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur, in his written reply to the Lok Sabha, said: "Next round of discussion with the farmers is scheduled on 14th February, 2025". The issues related to agitating farmers and their demands are also sub-judice in the Supreme Court and a committee has also been formed by the apex court, he noted. The Centre had initiated discussions with farmers on their agitation on February 8, 2024. Subsequently, discussions were held on 12th, 15th, 18th February 2024 and January 18, 2025, he added. So far, the central government has engaged in five round

Govt won't tolerate irregularities in agriculture sector: Shivraj

The government does not tolerate irregularities and will take action if anyone is found guilty of indulging in corruption, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Tuesday amid allegations of corruption in Maharastra's agriculture department. Chouhan was responding to an allegation levelled by NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, who quoted a minister and an MLA of Maharashtra of talking about alleged corruption to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore in the state's agriculture department. "This is for the first time I am hearing. I don't know what is the real position. But if there is any irregularity anywhere, we will conduct an inquiry and action will be taken against the guilty," he said in the Lok Sabha. Replying to another question, the minister said that so far 23 states and union territories have implemented the centrally sponsored Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) while the rest are yet to accept it. "It is the largest crop insurance scheme in the world. Some states

Irregularities found in crop insurance scheme: Maharashtra agri minister

Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate has admitted irregularities in the implementation of the Re 1 crop insurance scheme for farmers, noting places of worship were shown as agricultural lands to claim benefits. More than four lakh crop insurance applications, some filed even by those residing outside Maharashtra, have been rejected, Kokate on Tuesday said, adding a "bogus industry" has come to light which involves non-eligible people seeking benefits of the scheme. The minister, however, asserted that no money has been actually lost as funds were not transferred by the government into the bank accounts linked to bogus applications. Speaking to the media here, Kokate said instances of malpractice in the scheme have been identified in several aspects, including cases where mosques, temples and vacant lands were falsely declared as agricultural lands to claim benefits. "I have instructed district collectors to take immediate action," he said. The crop insurance scheme was

Govt sets wheat procurement target at 30 MT for 2025-26 rabi season

The government has set a conservative wheat procurement target of 30 million tonnes for the 2025-26 rabi marketing season, sources said. The lower procurement target comes despite the Agriculture Ministry aiming for a record wheat production of 115 million tonnes in the 2024-25 crop year (July-June). For the 2025-26 rabi marketing season starting April, the minimum support price for wheat has been fixed at Rs 2,425 per quintal. The procurement target was set following discussions with state food secretaries, the sources added. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies conduct wheat procurement to ensure farmers receive minimum support prices and to meet welfare scheme requirements. In 2024-25, government wheat procurement reached 26.6 million tonnes against a target of 30-32 million tonnes. While this exceeded the 26.2 million tonnes procured in 2023-24, it fell short of that year's 34.15 million tonne target. Wheat procurement in 2022-23 was just 18.8 million tonnes

Punjab govt rejects Centre's draft policy on agricultural marketing

The Punjab government has formally rejected the Centre's draft policy on agricultural marketing, asserting that it is an attempt to bring back the "contentious" provisions of the three farms laws repealed in 2021 after a year-long protest by farmers. The state government noted that since agriculture marketing is a state subject, the government of India should not come up with any such policy and should leave it to the wisdom of the state to frame suitable policies on the subject as per their concerns and requirements. The Centre had last year shared the draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing with the state government for its views on it. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had already said the Centre was trying to "bring back" the now-repealed farm laws, referring to the draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing. The AAP-led Punjab government had termed the draft policy as an attempt to reintroduce the three central agricultural laws

Reforms needed in ICAR for better outcomes, says PM's principal secy

PK Mishra says India needs to accelerate hybrid tech adoption in pulses, oilseeds to overcome production deficits

Shivraj Singh urges states to prioritise oil palm plantation under NMEO-OP

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday urged state governments to prioritise oil palm plantation targets under the NMEO-OP scheme by addressing bottlenecks and mobilizing available resources. The National Mission on Edible Oils - Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) was launched in August 2021, with the primary objective of enhancing domestic production of palm oil and reducing reliance on imports. The mission aims to bring 6.5 lakh hectares under oil palm plantations by 2025-26. "While significant progress has been made in certain regions, others need to accelerate their efforts," Chouhan said in a statement. The under utilization of allocated funds and delays in achieving plantation targets underscore the urgency for a more focused and coordinated approach, he said. Chouhan emphasized the need for states to prioritize achieving their plantation targets by addressing bottlenecks and mobilizing available resources. With substantial unspent funds under NMEO-OP, the minister urged state

Govt hikes crop insurance scheme allocation, subsidy for DAP fertiliser

Also, Rs 824.77 crore fund has been created to foster innovation and technology in the agriculture sector

ICAR, governing body members in bitter war of words over key appointments

With the current Director General of ICAR set to retire in February 2025, Badaravada described the transition as a "golden chance" to reform the organisation

Foodgrain output to scale new peak in 2025 as farm sector eyes 4% growth

India is poised to achieve new heights in foodgrain production in 2025, driven by favourable monsoon, though significant challenges persist in pulses and oilseeds production as the country's agricultural sector shows signs of robust recovery. The Agriculture Ministry's initial projections paint an optimistic picture, with kharif (summer) foodgrain production estimated at a record 164.7 million tonnes for the 2024-25 crop year ending June 2025. Winter crop planting has maintained steady progress, with wheat sown across 29.31 million hectares as of mid-December 2024, while total rabi (winter) crops cover 55.88 million hectares. "We had a good kharif crop because of normal rainfall," Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi told PTI. "Overall, the crop prospect for the whole year looks promising," he added, though cautioning against potential heat waves in February-March that could affect the winter wheat harvest. The agricultural sector is projected to bounce back strongly, with grow

Cabinet hikes copra MSP by upto Rs 420 to Rs 12,100 per quintal for 2025

The government on Friday announced an increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for copra by up to Rs 420 to Rs 12,100 per quintal for 2025 with a budget outlay of Rs 855 crore. A decision in this regard was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The MSP for 'milling copra' has been increased by Rs 420 to Rs 11,582 per quintal, while for 'ball copra' by Rs 100 to Rs 12,100 per quintal for 2025, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters. The total financial implication would be Rs 855 crore. Cooperative agencies Nafed and NCCF will be the central nodal agencies for the procurement of copra, he added.

Over 3.7 million farmer IDs created so far under 'AgriStack' project: Govt

The government on Tuesday informed Parliament that more than 37.17 lakh identity cards of farmers have been created so far as part of the AgriStack project. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the 'farmer ID' includes comprehensive and useful data on farmers' demographic details, land holdings, and crops sown, enabling farmers to digitally identify and authenticate them for accessing benefits and such as credit, insurance, procurement, etc. "As on December 11, 2024, a total of 37,17,709 Farmer IDs has been created," he said. He said even the Digital Crop Survey (DCS) has been undertaken in 436 districts in the kharif season of 2024. At present, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with 22 states and Union Territories for creation and implementation of the Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture. Chouhan said the government has consulted with states and other stakeholder ministries and financial institutions throug

Dist admin should check irregularities in onion procurement: Agri ministry

The Union Agriculture Ministry has suggested that district administration should be involved in procurement of onion to ensure transparency and check irregularities in the purchase process. In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs B L Verma said, the Department of Agriculture constituted a fact finding committee to look into allegations of irregularities in the procurement of onions under Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) by National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED). The department, vide OM (office memorandum) dated 4th November, 2024, "conveyed the suggestions that concerned district administration should be involved in the procurement process to ensure transparency and local oversight, to adopt biometric based verification of farmers, and payment to registered farmers bank account through Aadhaar Enabled Payment system", he added. Onions for PSF buffer are procured by NAFED and National Cooperative Consumers' ...

Farmers resume 'Delhi Chalo' march, security tightened at Shambu border

SKMU's Ayyakannu mentioned that recommendations of MS Swaminathan report for farmers' welfare were not considered during Congress regime, and the same issue persists under BJP government

Centre committed to purchase all farm produce at MSP: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

The Narendra Modi government will purchase all farm produce at minimum support price, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in Rajya Sabha on Friday. He gave the assurance while answering supplementaries during Question Hour on the issue of MSP to farmers. The assertion came on a day when farmers embarked on a foot march to Delhi with a charter of demands, which includes a legal backing to MSP. "I want to assure the house through you that all produce of farmers will be purchased at minimum support price. This is the Modi government and the guarantee to fulfil Modi's guarantee," Chouhan told the house. "When our friends from the other side were in power, they had stated on record that they cannot accept the M S Swaminathan Commission recommendations, especially on giving 50 per cent more than the cost of produce. I have the record," he said. He cited former MoS Agriculture Kantilal Bhuria, Agriculture Ministers Sharad Pawar, and K V Thomas to back his claim. After

Chouhan calls for strict action against sale of spurious seeds, fertilisers

He pointed out that "farmers often complain about receiving poor-quality inputs, resulting in significant losses"

30% of India's soil degraded, urgent action needed: Agri Minister Chouhan

Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stressed on the pivotal role of soil health in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) such as zero hunger, climate action, and life on land