RAIPUR: The agriculture sector in Chhattisgarh remains strong as the backbone of the state showing steady and inclusive growth over the past two years, officials said on Saturday.
Farmer-friendly policies, record paddy procurement, higher crop production, and financial support facilitated the agriculture growth, officials said, as Chhattisgarh under the Vishnu Deo Sai regime continues to play a key role in national food security while improving the income of farmers.
Fertiliser supply remained on target during both Kharif and Rabi seasons. Farmers also benefited from better irrigation and farm mechanisation. According to the essential data shared by the state agriculture with this newspaper, the sown area remained around 48.5 lakh hectares during the Kharif seasons. Food grain production increased from about 107.65 lakh metric tonnes in 2023 to nearly 127 lakh metric tonnes in 2024 and 2025. Pulses and oilseeds also maintained steady growth, supporting crop diversification efforts.
Rabi farming has also shown positive results. The Rabi cropped area stayed close to 19 lakh hectares over the last two years. Pulse production increased from 4.94 lakh metric tonnes in 2023–24 to 6.77 lakh metric tonnes in 2024–25. Higher production targets have been set for the coming season to further strengthen pulse and oilseed cultivation.
The state has timely distributed around 10 lakh quintals of certified seeds during Kharif seasons and about 2 lakh quintals during Rabi seasons.
The Krishak Unnati Yojana has become a major support scheme for farmers. Under the scheme, paddy farmers received benefits equivalent to `3,100 per quintal. In 2024–25, about 25.5 lakh farmers received nearly `11,976 crore. From 2025–26, the scheme encourages farmers to shift from paddy to pulses, oilseeds, millets, maize, and cotton with special incentives. Paddy procurement has improved with the use of technology. Paddy is being purchased at 2,739 centres using biometric verification to ensure transparency.