Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) [India], August 26 : Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said that 80 crore people were provided with 5 kilograms of ration free of cost under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's scheme, while stressing that India needed to boost food production to meet future demands.
The Union Minister was addressing the "64th All India Wheat and Barley Research Workers Seminar" at the Agricultural University in Gwalior, where he interacted with scientists, farmers and representatives from various states.
Highlighting achievements in agriculture, Chouhan said, "Under Modi ji's leadership, wheat, paddy, maize and soybean have the biggest record till date. The credit for this achievement goes to the intelligence of scientists, talent of farmers, their hard work and the policies of the PM Modi government."
He informed that India's wheat production reached 117 million tonnes this year, the highest ever recorded. However, he cautioned that future demand would require even greater output.
"But now further till 2030, because today we have full reserves, but in the coming days our need for it is going to increase. The target by 2030 is 125 million," he said.
Chouhan also pointed out that gluten in wheat was harmful for some people, saying, "How can we control its quantity? We are working on making it useful. Wheat is very important for food security. There was a time when we had to import red wheat from America. Today we are self-sufficient."
The minister said the government was also working to increase pulses and oilseed production. He stressed that crop-based conferences were being organised across India, including on cotton in Coimbatore, soybean in Indore, and maize in Ludhiana.
"Our effort is that we people related to crops should come together and discuss how to increase the production of crops, its cost loss, increasing temperature, climate change, how to deal with the challenges that are standing in front of us today, how to deal with the attack of balanced bacteria," Chouhan said.
The minister also announced that a national roadmap for Rabi crops will be prepared in Delhi on September 14 and 15, with participation from agriculture ministers, scientists, and officials from all states.
"Today I am very happy that wheat production has increased to 117 million tonnes this year. We have continuously increased it. Such record production has never happened to date," he said.
Chouhan said the government had launched the Pradhan Mantri Dhanyavad Krishi Yojana, aimed at improving agricultural productivity in low-yield areas through a six-point strategy. He also emphasised the importance of protecting soil health through natural farming practices.
The minister said the government had tightened regulations on bio-stimulants to prevent farmers from being misled.
"Farmers are sacrificed in the name of bio-stimulants, production will increase through this, but 30,000 such medicines were being sold in the country right now for which no protocol was decided, whether it will be beneficial scientifically or not," he said.
He said the Modi government had made it mandatory for three ICR scientists or an agriculture university to certify the products before approval. Investigations found 642 companies whose products were scientifically proven, while many others faced scrutiny.
The minister also assured farmers that the Government of India had constantly arranged for fertilisers and ensured the required quantity was being supplied.
Chouhan reaffirmed the government's commitment to increasing farmer income and strengthening food security so that India would never face shortages of food, fruits, or vegetables.