Shivraj Singh Chouhan aks states to meet farm targets on time; warns against ‘eating, meeting and sitting’
Chouhan said states would have to deliver on commitments made during the conference, including deadlines for Farmer ID generation and other components of AgriStack.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan urged southern Indian states to meet their agricultural goals on schedule, cautioning against mere discussions at regional conferences. Speaking at the end of the Regional Agriculture Conference for Southern States in Hyderabad, Chouhan emphasized that the nation's agriculture team must collaborate effectively for success.He cautioned that if states simply attended the conference, consumed and rested without delivering on commitments, such action would be considered a betrayal of the public.
Chouhan demanded tangible outcomes, particularly in the areas of generating Farmer IDs for AgriStack and conducting the Digital Crop Survey.He highlighted that Telangana and Karnataka had already completed 75% of Farmer ID generation, while Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands needed to expedite the process. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands had already finished their Digital Crop Survey.Chouhan stressed the importance of linking land parcels with farmer registries promptly, especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and called for standardized operating procedures for tenant farmers, including sharecroppers and agricultural tenants.
He also announced that the Bharat Vistar platform would be made available in 13 regional languages, such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam, to enable farmers to access agricultural advice in their native tongues.The minister underlined the necessity for researchers and farmers to work together, adding that research should transition from laboratories to the fields.
He proposed organizing 15-20 day agricultural campaigns where central government scientists would interact directly with farmers in villages and fields.The Rabi Conference, scheduled for September 28-29 at Pusa Institute in Delhi, would bring together state agriculture ministers and officials to review crop-specific sowing plans and acreage.
The conference aimed to refine India's agricultural strategies, position the country as the world's food provider, and urged all participants to work towards this ambitious goal.
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