Agriculture Minister urges legislators to promote farmer-scientist interaction

New Delhi, May 31 (PTI) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday urged legislators to encourage farmers to interact with scientists and participate in farm training programmes, saying the objective is to achieve "lower costs, higher yields, sustainable agriculture, and profitable farming." Speaking during a virtual interaction with legislators from various states under the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan', Chouhan said the campaign is "not merely a government scheme but a public movement" aimed at directly engaging with over one crore farmers from May 29 to June 12, 2025.

Launched from Puri in Odisha, the campaign has spread across the country "like a wave", the minister said.

He shared that 2,170 teams have conducted 4,416 visits across 7,368 villages so far, connecting approximately 7.95 lakh farmers to the campaign.

Under the initiative, teams will visit villages to provide farmers with detailed information on climate-resilient crop varieties, balanced fertiliser use, soil nutrient knowledge and conservation, crop disease management, and agricultural diversification techniques.

The campaign will focus on educating farmers on organic farming, use of drones in agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy, and fisheries, Chouhan said, adding that discussions on these subjects will be held with farmers and their queries addressed by relevant experts.

"The immediate benefits of this campaign will be reflected in the upcoming Kharif crop season," he said in a statement.

Chouhan emphasised that the campaign, implemented in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, will strengthen the ongoing 'Lab-to-Land' initiative aimed at building a 'Viksit Bharat'.

"Our core mantra is 'One Nation-One Agriculture-One Team', wherein agricultural scientists, officials, and our farmer brothers and sisters will together lead India towards 'Viksit Bharat - 2047'," he said.

The minister said a key goal of the programme is for subject matter experts from Krishi Vigyan Kendras and scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to directly reach farmers' homes and fields and learn from their innovations.

"This is a groundbreaking initiative that will serve as a milestone in the journey of Indian agricultural science and our farmers," Chouhan said. PTI LUX DRR