Plan to increase productivity of major crops in India: Chouhan

PrashantNews

The centre is embarking on a plan to increase productivity of all major crops in India, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Friday.

Speaking to the media on enhancing soybean productivity in Indore, Chouhan stated that food grain production has risen by 44% in the past 11 years. While today’s discussion is focused on soybean, future consultations will be held in Coimbatore on cotton, in Meerut on sugarcane, and in Kanpur on pulses, Chouhan said. The aim is to improve the productivity of all major crops, he said.

Despite having over 16,000 agricultural scientists, a gap between lab research and field application persisted. To address this, the government launched the ‘Lab-to-Land’ approach under the ‘Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan’, during which 2,170 teams engaged with over 13.5 million farmers to align research with real-world farming needs.

During these interactions, key research priorities emerged based on farmers’ inputs.  Chouhan emphasized a significant shift in approach—research topics will no longer be decided solely by scientists in Delhi, but through direct engagement with farmers in the fields. Recognizing that farmers are best positioned to understand on-ground challenges, he noted that many have already introduced innovative practices. Going forward, scientists will focus on refining and scaling these farmer-led innovations to drive practical, impactful solutions in agriculture.

Chouhan added that further research will focus on increasing per-hectare productivity. Techniques like genome editing will be used to develop improved seeds. New technologies will be adopted to prevent root rot in soybean crops. As finding agricultural labourer’s is increasingly difficult, mechanization must be promoted. Research will focus on disease-resistant crop varieties, seed treatment, and timely disease identification.

He highlighted that soybean is a major source of protein, and efforts should be made to enhance the use and export of soymeal. Value-added products such as tofu and soy milk should also be promoted. Progressive farmers have reported achieving yields of 20 quintals per acre and shared their methods; efforts will be made to learn from such farmers.

 

By Shishir Prashant

Shishir Prashant is a senior journalist having vast experience working in prestigious media organizations like PTI, Business Standard, Deccan Herald and Kashmir Times

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