To promote the overall development of agriculture, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has initiated crop-wise and region-wise visits across the country. On July 24, 2025, he chaired a high-level meeting in Delhi with senior officials to review strategies for enhancing the productivity of soybean and cotton.
During the meeting, Union Minister highlighted the need to formulate an action plan based on insights gathered from his recent field visits. He directed officials to adopt a mission-mode approach and assign specific responsibilities to dedicated teams of scientists. He also stressed the importance of integrating the soybean and cotton productivity enhancement initiative with the National Mission on Seeds, and recommended disseminating technical information to farmers through videos and mobile messages to ensure wider outreach.
Earlier, as part of the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan conducted between May 29 and June 12, 2025, Minister Chouhan held consultations with farmers and other stakeholders at the National Soybean Research Institute in Indore on June 26 and the Sugarcane Breeding Institute in Coimbatore on July 11 to explore strategies to improve the productivity of soybean and cotton.
In the follow-up meeting held yesterday, at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi, DARE Secretary and Director General of ICAR Dr. M. L. Jat, and other senior officials were present. ICAR Deputy Director General (Crops) Dr. D.K. Yadav gave a presentation outlining research-based approaches to boost crop productivity.
Based on the presentation, Minister directed the formation of a team of scientists for germplasm import in mission mode and asked that this work be aligned with the objectives of the National Seed Mission. Recognizing the critical role of seed quality, he instructed both Secretaries to organize a meeting with government seed corporations to explore ways to ensure the availability of high-quality seeds to farmers.
Shivraj Singh also addressed the need for better agricultural mechanization. He suggested evaluating Custom Hiring Centers to identify which types of genetic/agricultural machinery are required and ensure their availability accordingly. In light of the success of the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, he recommended implementing the initiative ahead of major cropping seasons, August-September for Rabi and March-April for Kharif.
To enhance farmer outreach, he instructed that all 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) across the country be equipped with broadband, projectors, and other facilities, so that more farmers can directly engage with agricultural experts.
Additionally, the Minister stressed the importance of increasing awareness among registered farmers by strengthening seasonal advisories and spreading technical knowledge about soybean and cotton cultivation through videos and messages.
During the meeting, various key research and development topics were discussed, including the import and use of foreign germplasm, implementation of genome editing projects, national missions for high-yielding seeds, the establishment of speed breeding facilities, plant and soil health management, seed quality regulations, mechanization, and enhanced farmer awareness initiatives.
The Minister assigned responsibilities to relevant departments to ensure timely implementation of all the key action points discussed in the meeting.
