Latest news with #VKSA
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Considering mechanism to curb ‘indiscriminate' pricing of pesticides, says Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan
Union Minister for Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the authorities are mulling putting in place a 'scientific' mechanism to curb 'indiscriminate' pricing of pesticides. Speaking after the Annual General Meeting of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) on Monday, Chouhan said, 'There is a written MRP (Maximum Retail Price) on pesticides etc, but it is not real. Many times, farmers are charged more money.' 'We will try to fix a mechanism for this in a scientific way, so that farmers are not charged indiscriminate prices,' the minister said, adding, 'We will try to make a mechanism based on the cost incurred.' The government is also working to bring a stringent law to check the sale of substandard seeds and spurious pesticides, Chouhan stated. 'The availability and trustworthiness of good seeds is also necessary. If the seed quality is not good then farmers suffer a lot. In this regard too we have decided to put in place a system to ensure that the farmers receive certified seeds.' 'A stringent law should be enacted to curb sale of substandard quality seeds and spurious pesticides. This has been expressed by all. We are working on that,' the minister said. Last month, Chouhan met farmers during the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA), held from May 9 to June 12. 'One thing that I found in the whole country was that people expressed concerns about substandard pesticides and seeds, and they said that many times they get looted and harassed due to this. Hence a strict law should be made,' Chouhan said in an interview to The Indian Express earlier. In India, pesticides are used in a little over two-thirds of the country's total cultivated area, and most of it involves the use of chemical pesticides. Pesticide use in Indian farms According to the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (PPQS), which comes under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, the total area under cultivation stood at 213 million hectares in 2023-24 (both rabi and kharif seasons), of which 146 million hectares were under the use of pesticides, while the remaining 67 million hectares did not use any of pesticide. Of the total area under pesticide use, 113 million hectares were under the use of chemical pesticides, 12.8 million hectares under bio-pesticides, and 20 million hectares under both chemical and bio-pesticides. The demand for chemical pesticides has increased by 15 per cent in five years from 69,211 metric tonnes in 2019-20 to 79,706 metric tonnes in 2023-24. Most of this demand is from states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Crops that use the most amount of pesticides include cereals, cash crops, vegetables, pulses, and fruits. Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister's Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Scientists reach out to nearly 2L farmers through Krishi Sankalp drive in Tripura
Agartala: Tripura has achieved remarkable success in the fortnight-long Vikshit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA), which concluded on Thursday. Agriculture scientists and extension workers engaged with 1.95 lakh farmers, including 34% women, through 873 meetings held across 956 villages, minister for agriculture and farmers' welfare Ratan Lal Nath said on Friday. Talking to the media, Nath said scientists interacted with farmers and provided tips on increasing crop yields, reducing production costs, adopting natural and climate-resilient farming, improving sustainable marketing, and enhancing processing and value addition of agricultural products. "The success of VKSA in Tripura is the highest recorded in the northeast. The department has identified standout farmers whose success stories serve as inspiration nationwide. Fish cultivators, floriculturists, paddy growers, and vegetable farmers have been earning substantial incomes through agriculture, despite holding impressive degrees. Some have amassed significant wealth through farming," Nath said. He said three districts and 30 blocks in Tripura are now self-sufficient in paddy cultivation. However, the state remains short by 1.5 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of paddy. "For the current Kharif season, we aim to produce at least one lakh MT more than last year. In the next two seasons, Tripura is expected to become self-sufficient in food grain production," he added. Tripura's farmers have been exporting pineapple, scented lemon, lotus, aromatic rice, and spices for the last seven years. The government continues to support them in adopting modern agricultural techniques to improve yields while also promoting organic farming. Additionally, 2.83 lakh farmers have received Rs 843 crore under PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, while Rs 1,750 crore was disbursed under PM Fasal Bima Yojana. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Hans India
13-06-2025
- Science
- Hans India
Providing scientific solutions to farmers' challenges
Tadepalligudem (West Godavari District): The Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA) which is scheduled from May 29 to June 15 is being conducted by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Venkataramannagudem, under Dr YSR Horticultural University. It was a flagship outreach initiative by the Government of India aimed at empowering farmers ahead of the Kharif season. VKSA was spanned 45 villages in 25 mandals of East Godavari, West Godavari, and Eluru districts, reaching out to 16,262 farmers. Dr P Vijaya Lakshmi, Principal Scientist at KVK, VR Gudem, served as the nodal officer, with a team of scientists including Dr Pedababu, Dr Rekha, Dr Prasad Reddy, and Dr Deepthi. Scientists from Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research (IIOPR), Pedavegi, Dr Ramachandrudu, Dr Mary Rani, and Dr Premalatha also participated. The key focus of VKSA is on enhancing farmer incomes through scientific agricultural practices. During interactive sessions, the scientists stressed the importance of choosing climate-resilient and high-yielding varieties such as Bhima MTU-1140 and MTU-1232 as alternatives to the commonly grown Swarna variety. They also advocated for organic cultivation methods, soil testing, soil fertility enhancement techniques, and the adoption of oil palm as a major source of revenue. Special focus was laid on horticultural crops like coconut, cocoa, oil palm, banana, mango, cashew, and vegetables, all of which are increasingly affected by climate change, nutritional deficiencies, and pest attacks such as spiralling whiteflies. The initiative was carried out in close coordination with officials from the departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, and Fisheries, with support from local political leaders and active participation from the farming community. Dr Vijaya Lakshmi expressed satisfaction over the successful execution of the programme and the overwhelming response from farmers. 'We are glad to have directly reached thousands of farmers and provided scientific solutions to their field-level challenges,' she said.
Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan: Lack of quality seeds, market for produce among major challenges for farmers
As the 15-day nationwide 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' (VKSA) ended with a programme by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Gujarat on Thursday, heads of the ICAR institutes in Karnal presented the summary of Haryana chapter of the campaign, putting poor availability of quality seeds, lack of marketing access and awareness regarding crop insurance, loans and other subsidies as major challenges before farmers. National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) director Dheer Singh, who was the Nodal Officer for VKSA in Haryana, said that 902 teams worked to gather the issues and written feedback or grievances were taken from the farmers during the campaign from May 29 to June 12. At a press conference at his office, Singh said that the teams comprising scientists from the central institutes, with support from the state government and other institutes visited 3,482 cluster villages in all 22 districts of the state and had a direct interaction with nearly 4.5 lakh farmers. 'We received feedback of more than 10,000 farmers and some common among them will be clubbed for a final report to be submitted with the higher authorities,' the NDRI director said. Ratan Tiwari, director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR); Shiv Kumar Yadav, head, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), regional station, Karnal; Rajan Sharma, joint director, NDRI, BS Meena, principal scientist and coordinator of VKSA in Karnal and others also joined the media interaction. Officials said that the campaign announced by Union minister Chouhan last month, aimed to create awareness among farmers about modern technology and new seed varieties, while also laying the foundation for advanced agriculture, modern farming techniques, introducing welfare schemes of the government and also hearing their grievances. Among the major challenges faced by the farmers, NDRI and IIWBR directors said, is chronic shortages and poor timing of DAP, urea, gypsum and other as well as frequent adulteration in fertilisers, insecticides, oil cakes and seeds. 'Also among the major problems captured during the discussion were over use of nitrogen-based fertilisers, particularly urea, need for effective management strategies against Bakanae disease in rice, poor seed germination and high weed pressure in direct-seeded rice (DSR). Farmers demanded introduction of high-yielding, salt-tolerant varieties of rice, wheat, and other major crops as well as short-duration rice varieties to support crop diversification and timely sowing, high-yielding crop varieties suited for natural and organic farming systems and strengthening of public sector hybrid development programs in rice, maize, and vegetables were other suggestions,' IIWBR director Tiwari said. Similarly, NDRI director said that they were told about persistent delays and blockages in subsidy disbursement, severe delays in crop insurance claims and cumbersome process of agri or animal loans. 'There is a strong demand for agricultural implements like DSR machines, mulchers, balers, paddy straw balers and others. We also came across the fact that there is a need for para-veterinary services at village and block level and there has been poor coordination in animal husbandry services as often the insemination services are done by untrained personnel. In dairies, farmers demand guaranteed and uniform milk pricing, reduction of middlemen and direct-to-customer sales via local markets or apps. There were numerous complaints about lack of marketing access for produce like crops, honey, milk, paneer, vegetables and others,' Singh added.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Drive to modernise farming resumes in Mizoram after rain disruptions
1 2 Aizawl: After days of disruption due to heavy monsoon rains, the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA) has resumed in Mizoram, covering over 700 villages across the state, joint director of state agriculture & farmers' welfare and VKSA nodal officer, B Ramnunsanga, said on Tuesday. VKSA is a nationwide campaign launched to modernise agriculture through scientific outreach, sustainable practices, and farmer empowerment. Originally scheduled from May 29 to June 12, during the pre-kharif season, the campaign faced delays due to intense rainfall, forcing officials to pause activities until June 5. Since then, authorities have reached 19,174 farmers, including 8,211 women, across 217 villages — with a possible extension of the campaign period under consideration. This flagship initiative seeks to bridge the gap between agricultural research and grassroots farming practices, directly connecting scientific advancements with farmers and contributing to the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision. Agricultural experts have been visiting farmers at their workplaces, offering technical guidance on enhancing rice and vegetable cultivation. Those engaged in pisciculture, sericulture, and animal husbandry are also receiving strategies to boost their yields. Additionally, experts are documenting challenges faced by those in agriculture and allied sectors, providing tailored verbal and written advice to help improve their practices.
