New Delhi, March 10 (IANS) India is steadily moving towards becoming the world’s ‘food basket’ with record agricultural production and supportive government policies, Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Tuesday.

Speaking in Lok Sabha, Chouhan said the Centre is making continuous efforts to strengthen the agriculture sector and improve farmers’ incomes.

He also alleged that several central schemes are not being properly implemented in West Bengal, due to which poor farmers in the state are being deprived of the benefits of key welfare programmes.

“India is currently witnessing record foodgrain production and the country’s agricultural capabilities are being widely recognised across the world,” Chouhan stated.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s total foodgrain output has reached a record level of around 357 million tonnes, strengthening both food security and farmers’ incomes,” he explained.

Chouhan highlighted that India has become the world’s largest producer of rice with output exceeding 150 million tonnes, surpassing China.

“Record production has also been achieved in several other crops including wheat, mustard, soybean and groundnut,” he added.

Recalling the past, the minister said there was a time when India depended on imported wheat under the PL-480 programme, but the situation has completely changed today.

“Our warehouses are now full of wheat and rice. In fact, the government is now concerned about storage space for foodgrains,” he said, adding that India’s farmers and agricultural policies are being appreciated globally.

Chouhan further said that the government is also focusing on increasing the production of pulses, fruits and vegetables to strengthen nutrition security and boost farmers’ incomes.

Pulses production, he noted, has increased from about 19 million tonnes earlier to around 25–26 million tonnes.

He added that horticulture production in the country has crossed 369 million tonnes, creating an important additional income source for farmers.

The Union minister also emphasised the government’s push towards natural farming. Large areas along rivers such as the Ganga River are being encouraged to adopt chemical-free farming methods.

–IANS

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