Inside Agri Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's bold new vision to modernise Indian farms and farmers

Time of India

24-06-2025

In the first week of June, on a bright and warm day, Union Agriculture Minister
Shivraj Singh Chouhan
visited Bihar, an agriculture-dependent state, as part of his ongoing outreach to the farming community. During his visit, Krishan Kumar, a litchi farmer from the state's renowned litchi belt, candidly highlighted a pressing challenge faced by growers in the region.
Krishan Kumar, in a video shared on social media, explained how litchis start to turn black and rot within 48 hours of being harvested, drastically reducing their shelf life. This rapid deterioration leads to significant financial losses for farmers who depend heavily on the seasonal fruit for their livelihoods. Chouhan, feeling compelled by the issue, instructed the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (
ICAR
) to soon work on developing a litchi variety that has aclonger shelf life to improve marketability and reduce post-harvest losses. The minister also called for the urgent development of modern storage and cold chain infrastructure in the region.
As part of the outreach programme, the 66-year-old former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister has been actively engaging with farmers in Bihar and across the country, demonstrating his hands-on approach by addressing issues directly on the ground and interacting with them.
During his visit, Chouhan interacted with several farmers. Notably, Chouhan's ascent from a young activist to the Union Agriculture Minister is marked by his commitment to engaging with people at the grassroots level. In 1991, he walked barefoot across Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh, earning the nickname 'Paav-Paav Wale Bhaiya'. Now, 34 years later, Chouhan—a six-time Member of Parliament and the Union Agriculture Minister—was once again on foot. But this time for a bigger mission:
Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan
.
Speaking at a press conference in Delhi on June 18, marking the conclusion of Abhiyan, Chouhan reaffirmed the government's commitment to the ongoing 15-day nationwide Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan. The initiative was launched from Puri (Odisha) on May 29, 2025, and concluded at Bardoli, Gujarat, on June 12, covering 20 states. 'We will take forward the success of the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan; this campaign will not stop,' Chouhan declared, signalling that the initiative is set to continue beyond its initial timeline. 'As Agriculture Minister, I will personally visit farms and interact with farmers two days a week.'
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Chouhan interacting with farmers during a choupal in one of the villages.
Over 1.4 lakh villages covered
According to the government, the Abhiyan saw the formation of 2,170 teams comprising agricultural scientists, ministry officials, and subject-matter experts who visited over 143,000 villages across the country. These teams engaged directly with more than 13.4 million farmers, addressing concerns, sharing best practices, and gathering insights from the grassroots level.
In 177 tribal districts, more than 8,000 programmes were conducted across 1,024 blocks, reaching nearly 1.8 million farmers. In 112 aspirational districts, teams visited approximately 6,800 villages, engaging directly with 1.5 million farmers. Additionally, outreach extended to nearly 100 border districts and vibrant villages.
'This campaign aimed to fill up the gap between the research labs and the agricultural fields. We have seen remarkable work happening, but challenges persist. Our focus must now be on increasing productivity, reducing input costs, and ensuring that agriculture becomes a profitable and sustainable livelihood for every farmer,' he added.
One Nation – One Agriculture – One Team
Chouhan articulated the vision of 'One Nation – One Agriculture – One Team', underscoring the importance of a unified, collaborative approach to agricultural development. He emphasised the need for an integrated platform where farmers, scientists, institutions, and policymakers work seamlessly together toward the shared goal of a modern, prosperous, and resilient agricultural sector.
Chouhan stressed the urgent need to bridge existing gaps in knowledge, research, and institutional capacity to deliver meaningful, on-the-ground benefits to farmers. He emphasised the pivotal role of
Krishi Vigyan Kendras
(KVKs) in this effort, announcing that KVKs will serve as nodal agencies in every district, operating as coordinated teams focused on meeting the immediate needs of the farming community. As part of this renewed focus, KVK scientists will now be mandated to spend at least three days a week in the field, directly engaging with farmers to offer guidance and gather feedback.
In order to promote progressive agriculture and ensure farmer prosperity, the government stressed the urgent need for enhanced coordination among all institutions. Chouhan announced the establishment of a centralised coordination mechanism that brings together key stakeholders across research, policy, and implementation to streamline and align efforts.
As part of this initiative, the ICAR will appoint a state-wise nodal officer for agriculture. These officers will be tasked with overseeing scientific trials, identifying region-specific agricultural challenges, offering expert guidance, and maintaining regular communication with respective state governments. The objective is to ensure that scientific insights and policy interventions are tailored to the unique agro-climatic and socio-economic contexts of each state.
The Minister also assured that he, along with senior officials, will hold regular consultations with state governments to align strategies, promote cooperative federalism in agriculture, and deliver regionally relevant, outcome-driven solutions for farmers across the country. He announced that the campaign will be relaunched during the upcoming
Rabi season
to sustain its momentum and deepen impact.
Chouhan announced the establishment of a centralised coordination mechanism that brings together key stakeholders across research, policy, and implementation to streamline and align efforts.
In addition, the government plans to amend the Seeds Act soon to enhance seed traceability, safeguard farmers, and ensure the supply of quality seeds in response to concerns over the availability of spurious seeds.
As part of targeted follow-up actions, the government will initiate a dedicated Action Plan for Soybean. A stakeholder consultation in this matter is scheduled for June 26 in Indore, and similar focused missions will follow for other key crops, such as cotton, sugarcane, pulses, and oilseeds. In preparation, a national-level hybrid meeting is scheduled on June 24 bringing together scientists, agricultural officers, and state agriculture ministers to review the outcomes of the campaign and chart the way forward.
'
Convergence
is the solution'
Chouhan praised the ICAR and the Ministry of Agriculture for their instrumental role in the successful execution of the Abhiyan. The campaign was organised in more than 700 districts, with participation from 731 KVKs, 113 ICAR institutes, state-level departments, and officials from agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and fisheries as well as innovative farmers.
'To the best of my knowledge, such a comprehensive agricultural campaign or Abhiyan has never taken place in India's history. What truly set it apart was the unprecedented level of coordination; for the first time ever, institutions like ICAR, KVKs, agriculture universities, state agriculture departments, and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture all came together with a shared vision and unified execution strategy. This level of integration has simply never happened before,' Mangi Lal Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General (DG) ICAR, told ET Digital.
'The insights gathered through this campaign will now shape a more targeted and responsive agricultural agenda,' noted Jat. For the first time, our research priorities are being aligned with the real-time needs of farmers, as directly observed during extensive field visits, said Jat. In parallel, the government has mapped the training requirements of each state and is now developing customised training programmes designed to address the specific challenges and tap into the unique agricultural potential of every region.
The Agriculture Ministry has identified more than 300 farmer-led innovations across the country during this Abhiyan. Select innovations include a solar light trap for apple borers, glucose collusion to extend litchi life, a spade-cum-whip device for orchard management, an onion seed drill and sugarcane bud chipper, a portable desi egg incubator and a bio-decomposer from vines as a potash substitute.
'We now aim to document these grassroots innovations in detail and assess how they can be scaled or transferred to benefit other farmers in need,' he said. 'In addition, we are exploring the idea of bringing these innovative farmers together for a structured dialogue to learn from their experiences and build a community of practice that can inspire broader agricultural transformation.'
The ministry has received extensive feedback from the ground on how to improve the government schemes, said Jat. 'All inputs have been taken seriously, and we are committed to making the necessary adjustments,' he added. Suggestions will be prioritised based on their urgency and relevance so that our schemes become more effective, responsive, and impactful for the farming community, noted Jat.
On climate change, Jat emphasised that building resilience in agriculture cannot follow a 'business-as-usual' approach. 'We need a convergence model,' he said.
Speaking at a press conference in Delhi on June 18, marking the conclusion of Abhiyan, Chouhan said the campaign will not stop.
There is a need to bring the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Agriculture onto the same page, said Jat, announcing plans for a joint meeting to explore collaborative strategies between the two ministries. 'We are aligned in our thinking and will soon roll out a concrete action plan to address climate resilience in an integrated way. The journey ahead may be long, but our focus remains on ensuring their prosperity,' said Jat.
Meanwhile, Chouhan's recent visit has rekindled hope among the farming community, with many believing that long-standing gaps in support could finally be addressed. Rupesh Gehlot, a 45-year-old small farmer from Tigipur village on the outskirts of Delhi, noted that farmers in the capital region had largely remained outside the ambit of several central agricultural schemes.
However, how these issues will be resolved and how long it will take remain to be seen. Only time will tell.