Chandigarh, 25 Dec 2025 | ANN:  Union Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the government has strengthened the agricultural base and is working to make farmers prosperous through the cooperative movement.

Speaking at the KRIBHCO conference in Panchkula on “Prosperity through Cooperation – Role of Cooperatives in Sustainable Agriculture,” Minister said the new agriculture policy focuses on reducing water and chemical use.

He said initiatives such as soil health management, water security, institutional credit, market access, processing, packing and marketing are helping transform farming into sustainable agriculture. Shah praised Haryana’s progress in agriculture and cooperatives, noting that agriculture and animal husbandry generate maximum employment, which can be further enhanced through cooperatives.

Highlighting women’s empowerment, he cited Amul’s model, which distributes ₹90,000 crore annually to 36 lakh women, and expressed confidence that India would have at least 20 cooperatives like Amul in the next 15 years.

Amit Shah also virtually inaugurated a milk cooling centre in Salempur, a plant in Bhiwani, and the HAFED Atta Mill in Rewari.

He also praised the Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini government for procuring 24 crops at MSP and ensuring payments to farmers within 48 hours.

On this, Farmers and agriculture policy expert Ramandeep Singh Mann commented via social media that the truth is that in Haryana, there is MSP procurement for wheat and paddy, limited Bhavantar procurement for mustard, bajra, and sunflower, and CCI procurement for cotton. However, there is no procurement for chana, masoor, moong, urad, arhar (pigeon pea), sesame, groundnut, ragi, soybean, jowar, jute, copra, niger seed, safflower, barley, or maize.
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