Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan gave six priorities for development in agriculture sector

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Friday that the central government has set six priorities for the growth of the agriculture sector. These priorities include increasing production, reducing production costs, ensuring fair prices for farmers' produce, providing relief during natural disasters, diversifying agriculture, and promoting natural farming. "We are working on a roadmap for agriculture based on these six principles," Chouhan said while responding to a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the functioning of his ministry.

Highlighting the work done by the Modi government over the past 10 years, Chouhan stated that the central government is committed to providing remunerative prices for crops and highly subsidized rates for urea and DAP fertilizers. In his hour-long speech, which will continue on Monday, Chouhan countered the opposition's allegations that the Modi government works against the interests of the agricultural sector. He dismissed accusations of reduced funding for agriculture and allied sectors in the budget.

Chouhan mentioned that the budget allocation for the agriculture department alone is Rs 1.32 trillion for 2024-25, compared to Rs 27,663 crore in 2013-14. If the budgets for allied ministries and fertilizer subsidies are included, the figures are even higher.

During the discussion, opposition parties claimed that the Modi government has done nothing for the agriculture sector in its 10-year tenure, and even the latest Union Budget falls short of expectations. Responding to allegations of reduced fertilizer subsidies, Chouhan assured that farmers are receiving fertilizers at highly subsidized rates and will continue to do so. The central government provides additional budget, if necessary, to ensure that farmers get crop nutrients at affordable prices. He pointed out that the fertilizer subsidy was Rs 71,280 crore in 2013-14, whereas it was Rs 1.95 trillion in 2023-24.

Addressing Congress member Randeep Singh Surjewala's comment that the government was procuring very small quantities compared to total production, Chouhan questioned whether the opposition leader understood farming. Chouhan highlighted the significant increase in the production of food grains and horticultural crops over the last 10 years. He added that the government has taken steps to boost the production of oilseeds and pulses to reduce imports, noting that the output of these two crops has increased.