Bhubaneswar, May 19 (IANS) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday urged the eastern states to focus on pulses, oilseeds, and crop diversification during the current kharif season and give special attention to small and marginal farmers.

Addressing a press conference during the Eastern Regional Kharif Agriculture Zonal Conference here, the minister said that Eastern India’s agriculture sector can achieve new heights through a subject-specific, region-specific, and state-specific roadmap developed jointly by the Centre and the states.

Chouhan said that India today is in a strong position in the production of paddy and wheat, but self-reliance in pulses and oilseeds is still to be achieved.

He clarified that diversification is not merely about expanding other crops, but also about protecting soil health.

Repeated cultivation of the same crop adversely impacts soil fertility, whereas pulses improve soil quality through nitrogen fixation.

He said the zonal conference, comprising Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, emerged as a meaningful platform for detailed deliberations on food security, nutrition, farmers’ income, crop diversification, integrated farming, balanced fertiliser use, Farmer ID, pulses and oilseeds, natural farming, horticulture, and agricultural infrastructure.

Chouhan said that India is a vast country with diverse agro-climatic conditions, varying soil characteristics, and different agricultural challenges across states.

Therefore, instead of holding a single national conference, the system of zonal conferences is proving more effective.

He informed that this was the third zonal conference, aimed at enabling detailed discussions and concrete decisions tailored to the specific needs of Eastern India.

The Union minister emphasised that integrated farming has been accorded special importance, keeping in mind the needs of small and marginal farmers.

He said models have been developed that combine grains with horticulture, vegetables, animal husbandry, fisheries, beekeeping, and agroforestry to create multiple sources of income for farmers.

He added that integrated farming has immense potential to substantially increase farmers’ income in Eastern India.

He also announced that a nationwide ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ would be launched from June 1 to June 15, focusing on balanced fertiliser use, soil health awareness, and farmer education.

He said excessive use of fertilisers without understanding soil conditions increases costs and adversely affects soil, crop, and human health, making balanced application essential.

The minister said that under the leadership of PM Modi, the Government of India has three clear objectives in the agriculture sector — ensuring the country’s food security, improving the availability of nutritious food, and strengthening farmers’ incomes and livelihoods.

Keeping these goals in view, the government has adopted a six-point strategy focused on increasing production and productivity, reducing input costs, ensuring remunerative prices for farmers, providing compensation for losses, and accelerating agricultural diversification.

–IANS

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