Annual agricultural production target set at 341.55 million tons: Shivraj Singh Chauhan

Speaking on the sidelines of the National Agriculture Conference, Chauhan said that in many parts of the country, farmers' income has not just doubled but has tripled and even quadrupled.

The National Agriculture Conference for Rabi crops was organized at the Pusa Institute in Delhi on Saturday. The meeting saw the participation of agriculture ministers from six states and agricultural officials from 31 states.

During the conference, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Minister of State for Agriculture Ram Nath Thakur, and Bhagirath Chaudhary mentioned that swift progress is being made in the interest of farmers.

An agricultural official noted during the conference that data is being compiled for regions where farmers' income has not increased significantly increasing, and the government will pay more attention to the farmers in those areas.

Shivraj Singh Chauhan said that within the 131 days of the Modi government's third term, rapid decisions have been made in the interest of farmers. Farmers who were unable to benefit from the Kisan Nidhi Yojana have now been included in the scheme, and the number of such farmers is around 2.5 million, he said.

He also announced that from next month, modern agricultural workshops will be organized across the country, where farmers and agricultural scientists will come together to find solutions to problems. The central government is making every effort to help states improve in the agricultural sector by holding successful meetings with agricultural ministers from 17 states.

Chauhan outlined the government's goals, which include increasing grain production, providing quality seeds, compensating farmers for losses, promoting natural farming, ensuring proper storage facilities for grains, and establishing India as a food basket for the world.

Special emphasis will be placed on the production of mustard, chickpeas, peanuts, black gram, green gram, lentils, and pigeon peas in the Rabi season.

In response to Congress's claims that the central government is anti-farmer, Shivraj Singh Chauhan said that answers to the opposition's questions will be given in the upcoming session.During the discussions at the conference, it was highlighted that to meet the increasing demand of edible oil in the country and to become self-reliant, the Government aims at increasing the production of oilseeds from 39.2 MMT in 2022-23 to 69.7 MMT in 2030-31, increase area under cultivation from existing 29 mha to 33 mha and improve yield from 1353 kg/ha to 2112 kg/ha by 2030-31. The panelists emphasized on the importance of conducting research on short-duration, high-yielding seed varieties and implementing comprehensive mechanization for the cultivation of pulses and oilseeds.

As per a government release, the conference showcased the recent Agri-Tech initiatives of the Ministry for ensuring quality of agri-inputs and proactive pest management strategies. NPSS provides a nationwide view for predicting, planning, and managing pest and disease infestations and plays a pivotal role in protecting agricultural yields and promoting sustainable farming practices.

Further, the role of IPMS to tackle the complaints / issues related to shortage of supply and misbranding of pesticides, real time monitoring of issuance of licenses, faceless and traceless quality assurance system using unique QR codes was highlighted. Likewise, the SATHI portal is a complete and integrated solution to encompass all the activities involved in production, inspection, processing, packing, tagging and disposal of all kinds of seeds ranging from Breeder, Foundation, Certified, TL seed, it mentioned.

The Conference had participation from various Ministries, representatives from State Governments / Union Territories and other organizations. Through interactive sessions, the conference facilitated a comprehensive dialogue that would lead to actionable strategies for the upcoming rabi season. (ANI)