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AgroPolicy, India

Arjun Munda, Cabinet Minister, will be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignations of Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Singh Patel and Renuka Singh Saruta from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution.

Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, The President has directed the following:-

Arjun Munda, Cabinet Minister, will be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, in addition to his existing portfolio.

Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State, will be assigned the charge of the Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, in addition to her existing portfolio.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State, will be assigned the charge of the Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti, in addition to his existing portfolios; and Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar, Minister of State, will be assigned the charge of the Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in addition to her existing portfolio.

Arjun Munda, Cabinet Minister, will be assigned

AgroPolicy, Finance, India

Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister & Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Agriculture Minister and jointly unveiled KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan, Kisan Rin Portal and WINDS manual.

In a landmark event, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman & Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar unveiled initiatives focused on agri-credit (KCC & MISS) and crop insurance (PMFBY/RWBCIS). The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare launched three initiatives, namely the Kisan Rin Portal (KRP), KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan, an ambitious campaign aiming to extend the benefits of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Scheme to every farmer across the nation and a manual on Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS). These initiatives aim to revolutionize agriculture, enhance financial inclusion, optimize data utilization, and improve the lives of farmers across the nation.

Delivering keynote address on the occasion, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman assured full cooperation of banks for success of Ghar Ghar KCC Abhiyan. She said that the government under Prime minister Narendra Modi has allocated enough money under KCC scheme to ensure easy short-term loans to farmers and their onboarding for the scheme. The finance minister commended Ministry of Agriculture for its initiatives and successful implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). She said that over 1,40,000 crores of insurance amount have been disbursed to farmers so far against a premium amount of Rs. 29,000 crores. She also appreciated real time estimation for rice and wheat crop output and called for the estimation to be extended to Dalhan and Tilhan crops so that better planning can be done for their imports, if needed. The finance minister said that real time estimation of crops will help the economy and ensure right prices for farmers at the end of crop season. Sitharaman also called for full automation of regional rural banks and cooperative banks and directed Department of Financial services to study the gap between loan sanction and loan disbursement for these banks.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in his address highlighted the importance accorded to agriculture and rural economy under the current government. He informed that budget for Ministry of agriculture has increased from Rs. 23,000 crores in year 2013-14 to Rs. 1,25,000 crores in 2023-24. Talking of WINDS manual, the minister said the aim is to ensure real time weather information so that farmers can take right precaution for their crops at the right time. Shri Tomar said that use of technology and transparency is important for agriculture and this government has taken necessary steps in this regard.  The agriculture minister informed that there are around 9 crore beneficiaries under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and the aim of KCC Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan is to connect around 1.5 crore beneficiaries who are not yet connected to KCC scheme. Tomar also thanked Ministry of Finance and banks for providing around 2 crore KCCs to farmers even during Corona pandemic. The minister asserted that it was agriculture and rural sector which kept the economy going even during the pandemic.

Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister & Narendra

AgroPolicy, India, Sustainability

President Murmu conferred the ‘Plant Genome Saviour Communities’ Award ‘Plant Genome Saviour Farmers Reward’ and ‘Plant Genome Saviour Farmers Recognition’ awards to the invited Indian farmers

Droupadi Murmu, President of India, inaugurated the first ‘Global Symposium on Farmers’ Rights’ (GSFR), in a ceremony held at ICAR Convention Centre, National Agricultural Science Centre, New Delhi. President Murmu conferred the ‘Plant Genome Saviour Communities’ Award ‘Plant Genome Saviour Farmers Reward’ and ‘Plant Genome Saviour Farmers Recognition’ awards to the invited Indian farmers. These awards are instituted by the PPVFR Authority as per the provisions of the PPVFR Act, 2001. She also inaugurated the newly constructed ‘Plant Authority Bhawan’, the office of the PPVFR Authority, and an online plant variety ‘Registration Portal’. Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, MoS Kailash Chaudhury and Secretary, Manoj Ahuja were also present on the occasion.

In her address, Droupadi Murmu congratulated organisers FAO and the Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the Treaty) for appropriately choosing India as the country to host the prestigious meeting, given its rich agricultural, cultural and ethnic diversity. She welcomed the delegates in the land of ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumabakam’ (the world is one family), a philosophy deeply ingrained in India’s culture and traditions. She said that farmers have toiled and enterprisingly developed or conserved landraces, wild relatives and traditional varieties of crops, and provided the building blocks for the modern crop breeding programs, thus ensuring food and nutritional security for human beings and livestock alike. She said that holding GFSR was very appropriate, as farmers are primary food producers (‘annadatta’) and only if there is food then there is a body, and if there is a body then any work gets done. That is why farmers need to be saluted and it is our duty to protect their rights and future.

President Murmu conferred the ‘Plant Genome Saviour

AgroPolicy, India, New Zealand

Both Ministers emphasised the potential of the partnership envisaged in the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) being finalised between the two countries for the overall development of Horticulture

A meeting between Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, and Damien O’Connor, Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity, New Zealand was held. Both leaders reiterated their commitments to work together in strengthening the agricultural cooperation and collaboration between the two countries.

Tomar informed the New Zealand Minister about India’s initiatives in celebrating the year 2023 as the International Year of Millet and sought their cooperation in promoting the health and other benefits of Millet. Both Ministers emphasised the potential of the partnership envisaged in the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) being finalised between the two countries for the overall development of Horticulture.

The Ministers assured each other of their commitments towards maintaining the quality and safety of the agricultural commodities being traded between the two countries and resolved to continue working on phytosanitary measures and systems. The Ministers also discussed the importance of developing a sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural system. The New Zealand Minister invited India to join the Global Research Alliance which is an alliance of 67 countries for sharing research on mitigation of climate change impacts on agriculture.

Both Ministers emphasised the potential of the

AgroPolicy, Climate, Nature, Sustainability

Inter-Ministerial Meeting on issues of Management of Crop Residue Burning held

A high-level inter-Ministerial meeting was held under the co-chairmanship of Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Bhupender Yadav, Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change to review the preparedness of the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi in preventing paddy stubble burning in the current season.

The high-level meeting was attended by Surya Pratap Shahi Agriculture Minister, Govt. of UP, Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Agriculture Minister of Punjab, Jai Prakash Dalal, Agriculture Minister of Haryana and Gopal Rai, Environment Minister of NCT of Delhi. Senior officers of the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, Govt. of India and from the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, NCT of Delhi and ICAR were also present.

During the meeting, the States presented the action plan and strategies for preventing stubble burning in the current season. The States were advised to utilise the funds provided for crop residue management, make Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery available well before harvesting season and carry out Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities in collaboration with ICAR and other stakeholders to bring awareness amongst farmers against paddy stubble burning.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister for Environment stated that efforts to prevent paddy stubble burning for the last five years are bearing good results. Due to the concerted efforts of agencies like the Commission for Air Quality Management, burning instances in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi have come down.  There is a need to encourage ex-situ management of paddy straw which will provide raw materials to the user industries like Power, biomass etc.

Inter-Ministerial Meeting on issues of Management of

Acquaculture, Agro Universities, Climate, R&D

The product is a synergistic combination of seaweed-based nutraceuticals, which is a 100 per cent natural blend of highly nutritious bioactive ingredients extracted with eco-friendly ‘green’ technology

The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi (ICAR-CMFRI) has developed a nutraceutical product from select seaweeds to boost the innate immunity related to post-COVID complications, named as CadalminTM Immunalgin.

The product was released by the Chief Guests Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Parshottam Rupala, Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, and Kailash Choudhary, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, at a function during the ICAR Foundation and Technology Day.

The product is a synergistic combination of seaweed-based nutraceuticals, which is a 100 per cent natural blend of highly nutritious bioactive ingredients extracted with eco-friendly ‘green’ technology. Dr Kajal Chakraborty, Head of the Marine Biotechnology, Fish Nutrition and Health Division of the ICAR-CMFRI led the research works to develop the product.

The product is a synergistic combination of

AgroPolicy, Agrotech, IT, Sustainability

Through an app, remote farmers can do e-KYC by scanning their faces without OTP or fingerprint

The PM-Kisan Mobile App with Face Authentication Feature was launched by Narendra Singh Tomar Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister under the central government’s ambitious and popular scheme for income support to farmers ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi’. The best example of modern technology using the Face Authentication Feature from this app farmers can complete e-KYC remotely, sitting at home easily by scanning faces without OTP or fingerprint and helping 100 other farmers to do e-KYC at their homes. Recognising the need to make e-KYC mandatory, the Government of India has extended the ability of farmers to perform e-KYC to officers of state governments, so that each officer can complete the e-KYC process for 500 farmers.

Thousands of farmers present in Krishi Vigyan Kendras across the country, as well as officers of the Central and State Governments and representatives of various government agencies and agricultural organisations were virtually connected to the event held at Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi. On this occasion, Tomar said that Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi is a very comprehensive and ambitious scheme of the Government of India, in the implementation of which the state governments have performed their role very diligently, as a result of which we are in a position to pay the instalment of the scheme about 8.5 crore farmers after KYC. The more refined this platform the more it will be useful for PM-Kisan and whenever any benefit has to be given to the farmers, complete data will be available with the Central and State Governments, so that no problem can arise in data verification.

Tomar stated that PM-Kisan is an innovative scheme whose benefits are being given by the central government to the farmers without any middlemen. It has become possible to give benefits to such a large number of farmers only with the help of technology. No one can question the implementation of this entire scheme which is a very important achievement. The work has become much easier by using technology the GoI developed this App. The Government of India has made all the necessary facilities available to the states, now if the states work more quickly, then we will reach all the beneficiaries and achieve the set target.

Through an app, remote farmers can do

AgroPolicy, India, Sustainability

Lario shared IFAD’s vision for development with G20 leaders and argued that investing in rural communities is the most cost-effective way to improve global food security and support stability.

Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), made a strong pitch for increased investment in small-scale farmers and rural communities at the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ meeting in Hyderabad, India, from 15-17 June. His call for greater investment in rural people echoes the recognition of G7 leaders that we urgently need more support for sustainable and resilient agriculture and food systems in response to a worsening global food crisis.

Lario shared IFAD’s vision for development with G20 leaders and argued that investing in rural communities is the most cost-effective way to improve global food security and support stability.

“Despite the fact that the multiple crises are staling global progress on eradicating poverty and hunger, we can still achieve our goals,” said Lario. “We know what works: climate-smart technologies, improved resilience, and commercially viable nature-based solutions are proven ways to build equitable, sustainable and inclusive food systems. But to realise this potential, we must invest in small-scale producers and boost the role of rural women and youth in value chains,” he added.

While in India, he also met Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance and Narendra Singh Tomar Minister of Agriculture. They discussed the reform of the financial architecture and the role of the global South in this process, as well as the importance of aggregation of food producers to achieve food system transformation in India. “India is a crucial and long-standing partner in our efforts to address hunger and poverty, empower rural women and build resilience to climate change,” said Lario. “I am confident that under India’s presidency, the G20 will develop a roadmap to feed a hungry planet sustainably and equitably.”

Earlier this year, G7 leaders identified IFAD as a key player for global food security, expressing support for the Fund’s action towards small-scale farmers to strengthen local food production, meet local and regional food demand, build markets and reduce food loss. Between 2019 and 2021, IFAD investments raised the incomes of 77.4 million rural people while improving food security for 57 million people.

Lario shared IFAD's vision for development with

AgroPolicy, India

More than 200 delegates from G20 member countries, invited countries and International Organizations will participate in the meeting.

Agriculture Working Group (AWG) will be in Hyderabad for its Ministerial Meeting. The three-day event, starting from 15-17 June 2023, will be attended by more than 200 delegates from G20 member countries, invited countries and International Organizations. The event will be graced by the Agriculture Ministers from various countries and the Director Generals from International Organizations.

Day one will commence with the inauguration of a grand exhibition by Minister of State, MoA&FW, Kailash Choudhary. The exhibition will showcase the achievements of India in the field of agriculture and allied sectors. The inauguration will be followed by Agriculture Deputies Meeting (ADM). In the second half there will be two side events titled, “Managing Agribusiness for Profit, People and Planet” and “Connecting the Digitally Disconnected: Harnessing the Power of Digital Technologies in Agriculture” with participation from top Indian agriculture-based companies and start-ups and central and state government agencies involved in promotion of agri-business companies.

Second day of the meeting will begin with the Union Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar, welcoming the Ministers and other Heads of the Delegation participating in the G20 meeting. The Ministerial engagements on the day will include discussions on “Sustainable Agriculture for Food Security and Nutrition” and High-level Ministerial Discussion on women-led agriculture, sustainable biodiversity, and climate solutions, in three parallel sessions.

The third day of the Ministers’ meeting will conclude with the adoption of the outcomes of the Agriculture Working Group, G20, Indian Presidency. The delegation will then proceed for a technical excursion to ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), Hyderabad.

More than 200 delegates from G20 member

AgroPolicy, Bee keeping, R&D

He also inaugurated Bee Box Manufacturing Units- Honey & Other Beehive Products Collection centres, Trading, Branding and Marketing units at Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh & Uttar Pradesh

On the occasion of World Bee Day the Honey Testing Labs were virtually inaugurated by Narendra Singh Tomar, Agriculture Minister. He inaugurated Regional Testing labs- IIHR, Bengaluru, Karnataka, Regional Testing lab, IARI, Pusa New Delhi, Mini Honey Testing Lab SKUAST Kashmir at KVK, Kupwara, J&K, Mini Honey Testing Lab, KVK, Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, Mini Honey Testing Lab, Banaskantha District Co-op. Milk Prod. Uni. Ltd. Palanpur, Gujarat, Mini Honey Testing Lab, College of Agriculture, Pashighat, Arunachal Pradesh; Mini Honey Testing Lab, NIFTEM, Sonipat, Haryana; Bee Disease Diagnostic Centre, FCRI, Hyderabad, Telangana.

On this occasion, he also inaugurated Bee Box Manufacturing Units- Honey & Other Beehive Products Collection centres, Trading, Branding and Marketing units at Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh & Uttar Pradesh.

During the World Bee Day celebration, an Exhibition with over 100 stalls was set up by Beekeepers, processors and different stakeholders of the beekeeping sector to showcase the diverse varieties of the honey bee and different products in the beekeeping sector. More than 1000 farmers, beekeepers, processors, entrepreneurs and all stakeholders associated with honey production attended the programme.

Diversified agro-climatic conditions of India provide great potential for beekeeping/ honey production. India is producing about 1,33,200 Metric Tonnes (MTs) of Honey as per 2021-22- 3rd Advanced Estimate. India has exported 74413 MT of Natural Honey to the world worth Rs. 1221 crore ($ 164.835 million) during 2020-21. The scientific technology being adopted for increasing production and testing of honey by maintaining quality standards for national and international markets and promoting the production of other beehive products viz.; bee pollen, bees wax, royal jelly, propolis & bee venom. This has facilitated the beekeepers to increase their income and increased demand for honey and beehive products both in the domestic and international markets.

He also inaugurated Bee Box Manufacturing Units-

AgroPolicy, Horticulture, India, Organic

Tomar said that a lot of success has been achieved in organic farming in the North Eastern region

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Agriculture Minister launched Tripura’s famous organic Queen Pineapple at a function in Delhi. Ratanlal Nath, Tripura’s Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Energy and Parliamentary Affairs Minister was also present on the occasion. In the program, Agriculture Minister Tomar said that the development of the North Eastern region is the priority of the Government, the Central Government is continuously working there and Tripura and other North East states are making rapid progress.

In a function organised by Tripura Government and State Co-operative Supply and Marketing Federation (SIMFED) at Dilli Haat, INA, Union Agriculture Minister Tomar said that the North East region is the main concern of all of us, which was neglected earlier and the budget allocation for it was also less.

Tomar said that a lot of success has been achieved in organic farming in the North Eastern region, Sikkim has been declared as an organic state, while Tripura is also moving on this path, which is commendable. Agriculture Minister Tomar said that agriculture is developing a lot in the states of the North Eastern region. The products of this sector have made the mark in the global market and exports are increasing. Even now, there is a lot of potential for the development of agriculture and horticulture in the North Eastern region. Farmers in the Northeast are benefiting through organic farming.

On this occasion, the uniqueness, quality and usefulness of Tripura’s organic Queen Pineapple was displayed and a tasting session was also held.

Tomar said that a lot of success

AgroPolicy, India, R&D

The new Integrated Bio Control Laboratory (BC Lab) is a state-of-the-art laboratory in NIPHM

Narendra Singh Tomar, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare inaugurated the Integrated Biological Control Laboratory at the National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM) Hyderabad, Telangana.

After inaugurating the lab, he emphasised that the use of biocontrol for pests is necessary to overcome the adverse effects of excessive pesticide use in different crops as well as to reduce the cost of cultivation and to increase farmers’ income. He underlined the need that the technologies developed in the laboratory should be taken to the farmers who have the least access to information so that they can be convinced about the benefits of these technologies. He emphasised that there should not be any pesticide residue in organically produced agricultural commodities which are being exported to foreign markets to keep up with the brand image of the Country. He congratulated all the staff and officials of NIPHM on the new Integrated Biocontrol Laboratory building and expressed hope that they will rededicate themselves to the cause of taking the technology to the farmers.

The new Integrated Bio Control Laboratory (BC Lab) is a state-of-the-art laboratory in NIPHM, that has facilities for giving hands-on experience on production methodologies for Biopesticides, Biocontrol agents like predators and parasitoids, Entomopathogenic fungi, Biofertilisers, NPV, Pheromone and Botanicals. The use of bio-control agents, bio-pesticides, and bio-fertilisers will help in reducing the use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers, consequently, reducing the adverse effects on the environment and human health and contributing to improved Soil and Plant Health. The BC Lab will also have an Insect Museum, weed museum, exhibition hall, Natural Farming Cell etc. to showcase the specimens of agriculturally important insects and weeds in the best preserved or live forms.

The new Integrated Biocontrol Laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, and the labs are staffed with highly qualified faculty members.NIPHM promotes sustainable agricultural practices such as Agro Ecosystem Analysis (AESA) and Ecological Engineering (EE) for pest management with enhanced use of different biological agents, bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers. NIPHM is conducting regular training programs on various aspects of insect pests and disease management in different crops. The training programmes are attended by officers working in different states, scientists/academicians from Agricultural Universities, KVKs, ICAR institutes, students, farmers, DPPQ&S and private organisations.

The new Integrated Bio Control Laboratory (BC

AgroPolicy, India, World

8th meeting of Agriculture Ministers of SCO countries chaired by Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar

The 8th meeting of Agriculture Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries was held through video conferencing under the chairmanship of Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China and Pakistan participated in it along with India. Under the chairmanship of India, SCO member countries adopted the Smart Agriculture project. Expressing satisfaction over the smart agriculture action plan and the initiative of innovation in agriculture, Tomar said, India has taken several concrete steps to promote smart agriculture.

Welcoming everyone to the SCO meeting on behalf of India, Union Minister Tomar said that India gives importance to its relations with SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions. It is a matter of pleasure and pride for us to organise a meeting of SCO Agriculture Ministers to discuss strengthening cooperation in food security and nutrition, especially in the current situation.

He added that India is the largest employer globally in the agriculture sector, where more than half of our population is engaged in agriculture and allied sectors, while India also represents an important economic activity for many countries. Its importance is also evident from the fact that India’s budget allocation for agriculture and allied sectors has increased more than 5 times in 10 years from 2013-14. Over the years, India has performed well in the agriculture sector, contributing to global food security with food grain production, registering a significant growth in exports, and exports of agricultural and allied products have crossed Rs 4 lakh crore.

8th meeting of Agriculture Ministers of SCO

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, Oilseeds, Pulses, Sustainability

National targets set for food grains at 3320, pulses at 292.5and oilseeds at 440 lakh tonnes for the year 2023-24

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Agriculture Minister, inaugurated National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign 2023-24 in New Delhi. Addressing Conference, he emphasised that agriculture remains the prime pulse of the Indian economy and is at the core of the country’s socio-economic development. It accounts for around 19 per cent of the GDP and about two-thirds of the population is dependent on the sector.

Tomar expressed happiness that India’s agriculture sector has been witnessing robust growth with an average annual growth rate of 4.6 per cent over the last six years. This has enabled the agriculture and allied activities sector to contribute significantly towards the country’s overall growth, development and food security. As per 2nd Advance Estimates (2022-23), the production of foodgrains in the country is estimated at 3235 lakh tonnes which is higher by 79 lakh tonnes than the production of foodgrains during 2021-22. Record production of rice, maize, gram, pulses, rapeseed and mustard, oilseeds and sugarcane is estimated. The total production of sugarcane in the country during 2022-23 is estimated at record 4688 lakh tonnes which is higher by 1553 lakh tonnes than the average sugarcane production. As per the 3rd Advance Estimates of Horticulture, a record 3423.3 lakh tonnes of horticultural production are estimated in 2021-22 which is 77.30 lakh tonnes higher than production of 2020-21.

The objective of this conference was to review and assess the crop performance during the preceding crop seasons and fix crop-wise targets for the Kharif season in consultation with State Governments, ensure the supply of critical inputs and facilitate the adoption of innovative technologies with a view to enhancing production and productivity of the crops.  The priority of the government is agro-ecological based crop planning for the diversion of land from excess commodities like rice and wheat to deficit commodities like oilseeds and pulses and high-value export-earning crops. The special Mustard programme was initiated during Rabi 2020-21 which has brought the most spectacular results. Mustard production has jumped by 40 per cent from 91.24 to 128.18 lakh tonnes in the last 3 years.  The productivity saw an 11 per cent increase from 1331 to 1447 kg/ha. The area under rapeseed & mustard enhanced by 29 per cent from 68.56 lakh ha in 2019-20 to 88.58 lakh ha in 2022-23.  Timely action by central and state governments made this remarkable achievement possible.

The Conference set the national targets for the production of foodgrains and other commodities. National targets for total food grain production are set at 3320 lakh tonnes for 2023-24.  The target for production of pulses has been fixed at 292.5 lakh tonnes compared to 278.1 lakh tonnes this year and oilseeds production will be increased from 400 to 440 lakh tonnes in 2023-24.  Total Shree Anna production has to be increased from 159.1 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 to 170.0 lakh tonnes in 2023-24. The strategy would be to increase area through inter-cropping and crop diversification and productivity enhancement through the introduction of HYVs and the adoption of suitable agronomic practices in low-yielding regions.

National targets set for food grains at