National Conference on Agriculture for Rabi Campaign 2024 Launched by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan

New Delhi: Union Minister of Agriculture, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, inaugurated the National Conference on Agriculture for the Rabi Campaign 2024 at the NASC Complex in New Delhi. The conference brought together key stakeholders from the agricultural sector to review the crop performance of the previous seasons and set crop-wise targets for the upcoming rabi season. It also aimed to promote innovative agricultural practices and digital solutions to ensure a smooth supply of essential inputs and boost crop productivity.

Addressing the gathering, Chouhan emphasized the importance of transitioning towards organic and natural farming to enhance productivity while reducing reliance on chemicals and fertilizers. “Our goal is to increase per hectare yield, reduce production costs, and offer fair prices to farmers,” the Minister said. He also highlighted the formation of a committee to reduce transportation costs and close the gap between procurement and sale prices. Collaboration between the central and state governments, based on agro-climatic conditions, is vital to making India the world’s largest food basket. He also announced a national food grain production target of 341.55 million tonnes for 2024-25, reassuring that the Government of India will work closely with states to implement actionable solutions.

During the conference, Minister of State for Agriculture, Ramnath Thakur, urged state governments to provide immediate support to farmers affected by crop damage due to floods and cyclones. He also called for senior officials and researchers to assess the quality of agricultural inputs, particularly those being circulated in the market.

Bhagirath Choudhary, another Minister of State for Agriculture, expressed his gratitude to research organizations for their continued efforts to make India self-reliant in the production of pulses and oilseeds.

The conference featured interactive sessions with panelists from state governments and various agricultural bodies. Discussions covered enhancing the productivity of oilseeds and pulses, leveraging digital platforms like the National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS) and Integrated Pesticide Management System (IPMS), and utilizing the SATHI portal for seed authentication and traceability.

One of the key topics discussed was India’s plan to increase its production of oilseeds to meet rising demand and achieve self-reliance. The Government aims to boost oilseed production from 39.2 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2022-23 to 69.7 MMT by 2030-31. This will involve expanding cultivation area from 29 million hectares (mha) to 33 mha and improving yield from 1353 kg/ha to 2112 kg/ha by 2030-31. The panelists underscored the need for research on short-duration, high-yielding seed varieties and comprehensive mechanization of pulse and oilseed farming.

The conference showcased the Ministry’s recent Agri-Tech initiatives, including NPSS, which provides a nationwide framework for predicting, planning, and managing pest and disease outbreaks. IPMS was highlighted for its role in addressing supply shortages and the misbranding of pesticides, offering real-time monitoring and a faceless, traceless quality assurance system through unique QR codes.

The SATHI portal was also praised for offering an integrated solution to manage the entire lifecycle of seeds—from production to disposal—ensuring quality and traceability.

The session on digital agriculture focused on the newly approved Digital Agriculture Mission, which aims to support various Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) initiatives. These include the AgriStack, which integrates registries to provide farmer-centric solutions and advisories through the Krishi Decision Support System.

The Clean Plant Programme, which seeks to import disease-free planting materials for fruits and orchids, was also discussed. This program aims to produce, maintain, and distribute pathogen-tested plant materials using therapeutic processes.

The state representatives stressed the need for a holistic approach to agriculture, emphasizing mechanization, good-quality seeds, private-sector research, and specialized projects from ICAR. They also suggested that AI-based chatbots and advisories would be more effective if provided in audio format.

Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary of Agriculture, instructed states to complete the farmer registry by 31st March 2025 to enable farmers to benefit from the PM-KISAN scheme. He also emphasized the need to increase productivity in oilseeds and pulses while cracking down on the overuse of pesticides and the circulation of substandard seeds. States were urged to adopt digital platforms like NPSS, IPMS, and SATHI to improve awareness and efficiency.

Rajat Kumar Mishra, Secretary of Fertilizer, emphasized the use of drones for nano-urea application and crop monitoring, while Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Secretary (DARE) and DG (ICAR), called for the increased use of bio-fortified, climate-resilient seeds.

The conference concluded with an interactive session where agriculture ministers from various states raised issues concerning area coverage, yield, and production, while offering suggestions for agricultural improvement.