Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched a 15-day nationwide campaign, ‘Visit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan’, to educate farmers about new techs related to seeds, chemicals, and best practices before the Kharif crop sowing season begins with the goal of enhancing production.
He tells Jitendra Choubey that 2,170 expert teams, each comprising at least four scientists from Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), universities, research institutions, government departments, and farmer producer organisations, will visit over 65,000 villages across 723 districts between May 29 and June 12. Excerpts:
What is your assessment and farmers’ response? How is this yatra different from previous campaigns?
We have already engaged with millions of farmers. For the first time, a team of 2,170 scientists from the Indian Council for Agricultural Research has interacted directly with farmers, creating a valuable exchange of knowledge. Farmers learn about soil quality, nutrients, and pest control, while scientists gain insights into the challenges farmers face. During my visit to the Kisan Vigyan Kendra in Pune, I saw the initiative mobilising farmers to share their problems and seek solutions. I met growers of grapes, capsicum, tomatoes, and chilies, and I’m pleased to report that horticultural farmers are earning substantial incomes, with many young people returning to farming.
Why isn’t the focus on crops like mustard and pulses which India doesn’t produce much? Recent data show a decline in mustard production, and pulses still fall short of India’s needs.
It is true that we are unable to meet our production requirements related to pulses and oilseeds and are dependent on imports. However, we have increased our production overall. This year our pulses production estimation shows that it has reached an all-time high, i.e. 252.4 LMT in 2024-25, against last year’s production of 242.5 LMT. However, urad production has decreased. Production estimates of rapeseed and mustard reduced to 126.06 LMT against last year’s production of 132.6 LMT. This yatra also focuses on how to take new technology to farmers to increase oilseeds and pulses production further.
Farmers in Pune are struggling with poor road infra, affecting transportation of their grapes and tomatoes. They are also facing delays in receiving farm subsidies.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) or rural road construction programme, our government has connected all villages to the nearest towns, cities, and district headquarters. But connecting farms to the nearest roads is the duty of state governments. Different state governments have taken initiatives to connect farms to roads to improve farm produce supply.
A recent report shows that farmers’ income didn’t double by 2022-23. There is an overall shortfall of 25%. Why is the government reluctant to legalise MSP?
I do not agree with such a report. If you want to know the condition of farmers, come with me in the fields. I am going to different states and finding farmers earning lakhs through vegetable and grape production.
We will have to give a minimum assurance to the farmer, but that is not the solution. There is a need to focus on agricultural diversification, increasing production, reducing costs and intercropping. You can grow many things by doing intercropping. In this yatra, I am also telling the stories of many progressive farmers have reduced their input costs by diversifying their fields. I also understand their problems so that other farmers can take inspiration and make efforts to solve them.
Farmers report that they didn’t get timely weather update to act due to the government’s discontinuation of district-level agrometeorological services. Should these services be revived to help farmers with weather extremes?
Under the Digital Agriculture Mission, the government has been trying to address farmers’ problems related to early warning systems to protect crops. Under the DAM, we are going to create digital platforms, fostering a modernised agricultural ecosystem. We are establishing an advanced rain gauge system with an AI model in every panchayat and block. The new tech will help farmers with high precision about early warning systems.
Two gene-edited rice varieties were recently launched. There is a campaign against them, saying they are the same GMO under the litigation, but disguised differently.
Some people frequently create controversy surrounding new technology. We are committed to adopting innovative technologies to increase rice production in limited areas and to replace nearly 5 million hectares of paddy cultivation with pulses and oilseeds. Two rice varieties, Kamala and Pusa DST Rice 1, have the potential to transform India’s paddy fields, increasing productivity by 30% and 20%, respectively. Both varieties are drought-tolerant, early-ripening, produce less methane, and require less nitrogen. We decided to exempt it from the biosafety regulations outlined in Rules 7-11 of the 1989 Environment (Protection) Act. Current genomic tech enhances productivity by utilising living organisms from native crop species, rather than incorporating foreign microorganisms or bacteria, hence considered free from regulation.
What would be the next step after end of the yatra?
Each state will appoint a nodal officer who will work closely with scientists to compile reports from every province and agro-climatic zone. After gathering these insights, we’ll collaborate with experts to develop an innovative farming strategy. This initiative truly embodies PM Narendra Modi’s vision for a ‘self-sufficient India’, aimed at enhancing agricultural production and increasing farmer incomes through cutting-edge scientific techniques. Together, we can cultivate a brighter future!