New Delhi, 04 Jan 2025 | Nirmesh Singh

Agriculture Minister Shivaraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday conducted a review of various agricultural schemes with state agriculture ministers, seeking their suggestions on ongoing programmes and budgetary requirements in preparation for the Union Budget. The minister stated that he had also consulted farmers and other stakeholders to gather their inputs for the budget.

In a virtual meeting, Chouhan expressed optimism about the agriculture and allied sectors, projecting a robust growth rate of 3.5–4% for the 2024–25 fiscal year. He encouraged state governments to accelerate their efforts, emphasizing the need for a “faster pace” of implementation, according to an official statement.

On Minimum Support Price (MSP), he said, “There is a provision of Minimum Support Price i.e. MSP so that farmers get the right price for their production.”

However, the long-standing demand from a significant section of farmers for a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price (MSP) was not addressed in the meeting.

He also welcomed the State Bank of India’s report showing that the rural poverty rate declined to below 5 per cent for the first time in FY24 from 7.2 per cent in FY23

Chouhan outlined the Centre’s six-point strategy aimed at enhancing the farm sector. This includes increasing crop yield per hectare through research conducted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the release of improved seed varieties.

Additional focus areas include reducing production costs, promoting micro-irrigation systems, advancing farm mechanisation, adopting new technologies, and introducing modern agricultural practices.
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