- Smallholder resilience is becoming a central priority in India’s agriculture policy.
- India calls on agricultural research to deliver farm-level outcomes.
- Ag minister calls for faster technology transfer from research institutions to farmers.
Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the sector needed to move beyond increasing production and focus on farmer prosperity.
He highlighted integrated farming systems, improved access to quality seeds and planting material, balanced fertiliser use, better soil health and sustainable farming practices as key priorities.
“Without developed agriculture, the dream of a developed India cannot be realised,” he said.
Echoing this point, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying S.P. Singh Baghel called for closer integration of agriculture with livestock, dairy, fisheries and poultry activities to boost farmers’ incomes and strengthen the rural economy.
Chouhan also urged greater focus on agricultural exports, noting that India must strengthen quality, nutrition, processing, packaging and shelf life while ensuring compliance with international standards.
On-farm impact
Moving forward, Chouhan said research outcomes should generate measurable on-farm impact.
He called on the sector to move forward with demand-driven research aligned with farmers’ needs, market demand and consumer requirements.
He also urged stronger ICAR–industry partnerships to ensure that technologies developed through research are transferred to farmers more rapidly and effectively.
“Research alone is not enough; the right research, at the right time, must address the right problem and reach the farmer quickly that is the true measure of success… Our hard work, our research and our efforts can transform India’s image and change the destiny of our farmers.”
Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary said India’s next priority should be achieving greater self-reliance in agriculture, particularly in pulses, oilseeds, seeds, livestock and value-added processing.
India’s recent achievements
The comments were made during the 97th Annual General Meeting of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
During the event, ICAR highlighted advances across India’s agricultural landscape over the past year, including breakthroughs in genomics, soil health and natural farming.
In particular, ICAR Director General Dr M.L. Jat highlighted an African Swine Fever vaccine developed in India as one of the council’s biggest achievements to date.
India’s foodgrain production increased by around 19 million tonnes, while horticulture, milk and fisheries production also recorded significant growth.
ICAR released 386 new crop varieties during the year, including climate-resilient and biofortified varieties aimed at improving productivity, climate adaptation and nutritional security.
