BK Jha
On April 7, in Jaipur, the Western Regional Agricultural Conference heralded a strong beginning to a new era of agricultural reforms, where Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan laid out a clear roadmap on Centre-State partnership, farmers’ income enhancement, food and nutrition security, Farmer ID-based digital agriculture, and flexible scheme implementation. This new series of regional conferences has emerged as a shared ‘action-platform’ for the Centre and states to translate Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sashakt Kisan, Samriddh Bharat’ (Empowered Farmers, Prosperous India) into a ground-level reality.
Addressing the Conference Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that formal one-day Rabi-Kharif meetings are now being replaced by serious, theme-based regional conferences for different agro-climatic zones. He described the initiation of this new conference series from the soil of Rajasthan as symbolically significant, where agriculture ministers, senior officials, scientists, and progressive farmers from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Goa gathered on one platform, and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma was also present during the inaugural session.
Chouhan outlined three primary goals for Indian agriculture – the country’s food security, farmers’ income enhancement, and nutrition security. He said that India’s wheat and rice stocks are so abundant that even storage space poses a challenge, but self-reliance in pulses and oilseeds still needs to be achieved so that food security can be entirely based on the nation’s own production capacity and dependency on imports can be eliminated.
The Union Agriculture Minister described Farmer ID as the most useful system for the coming times, stating that everything from bank loans to government assistance will reach farmers quickly and transparently based on a certified digital profile. He informed that in some states, thousands of crores of rupees have been transferred directly to farmers’ accounts in just a few days through Farmer ID, and ahead, sensitive systems like fertiliser distribution will also be linked to Farmer ID based on the farmer’s land and sown crops, to prevent diversion of subsidised fertilisers. Mentioning global uncertainties in the context of West Asia/ Middle East situations, he said that in such times of crises, only through digital and data-based agricultural administration can the country and farmers be kept secure, therefore all states have been urged to complete Farmer ID work in mission mode to 100 per cent.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan informed that the procurement of pulses and oilseeds is being done by the Agriculture Department through the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan(PM-AASHA), while wheat-rice procurement is handled by the Food Department, and procurement approvals are given in accordance with proposals sent by states, but ensuring time-bound procurement is the responsibility of states. He stated that 100 per cent procurement of chana, masoor, and tur will be done, and where physical procurement is not feasible, compensation for the difference between MSP (minimum support price) and market price can be directly provided to farmers’ accounts through price difference payment mechanisms like the Madhya Pradesh model for mustard and soybean.
Mentioning the challenge of falling prices in crops like potato, onion, and tomato due to international factors, he explained the utility of the MIS (Management Information System), under which payment for the difference between model rates and market prices can be made directly to farmers, with 50 per cent share borne by the Centre and 50 per cent by the state government; additionally, he shared the decision to provide transport subsidy to state agencies that wish to transport farmers’ produce from production areas to major cities.
The Centre urged all states that the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan will now be conducted according to states’ local conditions rather than simultaneously across the country, and wherever states send timelines and programs, the Government of India will send teams of scientists, experts, officials, and progressive farmers to accelerate the campaign. In the context of Rajasthan, he announced the dispatch of a special team of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) scientists, which will expand scientific advice and innovations at the field level as per the state’s planned programme.
Introducing the concept of ‘Team Agriculture’, Chouhan said that policies and programs will be formulated by the Centre, but actual implementation is in the hands of states, therefore the more seriousness and priority state governments accord, the greater the success in delivering scheme benefits to farmers.
Referring to recent weather imbalances and losses, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh emphasised accurate assessment of losses by states and effective implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, so that affected farmers receive full benefits. He stated that active role on the ground will be states’, and the Centre will leave no stone unturned in providing ample support to farmers.
