New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Monday that India’s foodgrain production has increased by over 106 lakh tonnes to 1,663.91 lakh tonnes in 2024-25, which represents a 6.83 per cent increase over the corresponding figure of the previous year.

“In 2023-24, the country’s total foodgrains production was around 15,57.6 lakh tonnes. I am glad to tell you that in 2024-25, it has become 16,63.91 lakh tonnes,” Chouhan said at a press conference here.

“The production of the rabi crop was 1,600.06 lakh tonnes in 2023-24, now it has increased to 1,645.27 lakh tonnes,” he said.

The Union Minister said that his ministry’s vision was not only to meet the country’s own food requirement, but also to make India the food basket of the world.

Chouhan also gave the call for “One Nation, One Agriculture and One Team” to make the country’s farmers self-reliant and increase their incomes at the farmers convention – Krishi Samvaad – at Nagpur on Sunday.

Chouhan said that during a 15-day campaign from May 29 to June 12, agricultural scientists will visit villages to guide farmers on sustainable farming practices and plan for the Kharif season.

With 16,000 agricultural scientists under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), scientists will visit villages as a team along with agricultural extension officers to educate farmers about new seed varieties and innovative farming practices. The government is committed to bridging the gap between laboratories and farmlands, he added.

He said the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry, state Agriculture Ministries, the ICAR, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, and all agricultural institutes should work together as a team. If all the institutions are connected, targets are set, roadmaps are made, then miracles can be made in agriculture, he added.

Making another big announcement, the minister said the Centre would set up a national-level lab in Pune under the Clean Plant Programme. This laboratory will be set up in Pune for research on the original species of plants.

Emphasising increasing agricultural production, Chouhan said that the Clean Plant Programme is being run to ensure pure and disease-free nurseries. To increase production, farmers should understand the need for good quality seeds, soil testing and reduction in production costs.

–IANS

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