THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, MAY 19, 2026

Emphasizing the vast agricultural potential of the eastern region, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said Eastern India possesses all the necessary strengths to emerge as the growth engine of India’s agricultural development, provided the region receives the right policy support, scientific interventions and market-oriented reforms.

The Union Minister was addressing the inaugural session of the Eastern Regional Agriculture Conference in Bhubaneswar, inaugurated jointly with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The conference brought together representatives from Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal to deliberate on key issues concerning the agricultural transformation of Eastern India.

The conference focused on a wide range of issues including increasing pulses and oilseeds production, integrated farming for small and marginal farmers, natural farming, farmer registry, horticulture, agricultural credit, marketing reforms, control over fake agricultural inputs and enhancement of farmers’ income.

Addressing the gathering, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the conference was not merely a formal event, but a serious platform for shaping a new direction for agriculture, farmers’ livelihoods and regional agricultural strategy in Eastern India. He said that the “Team Agriculture” gathered on the sacred land of Mahaprabhu Jagannath was united with the resolve to improve farming conditions and raise farmers’ incomes across the eastern region.

Highlighting the fertile land, abundant water resources, diverse climatic conditions and hard-working farmers of Eastern India, the Union Minister said these strengths have the potential to make the region the growth engine of India’s agricultural development with the right interventions and policies.

Calling farmers not just “Annadatas” but “Jeevandatas”, Chouhan said serving farmers is akin to serving God. He stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is progressing towards becoming a developed, self-reliant, prosperous and powerful nation, and agriculture remains the backbone of this journey. He outlined three major priorities for the agriculture sector — ensuring food security for 1.4 billion citizens, providing nutritious food and securing better livelihoods and higher incomes for farmers.

The Union Minister stressed that increasing production, reducing cultivation costs, ensuring remunerative prices, compensating losses and diversifying agriculture are the foremost priorities today. He emphasized that agriculture cannot remain confined only to paddy and wheat, and that greater focus must now be placed on pulses, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables and other high-value crops, especially given the enormous potential of Eastern India in these sectors.

Referring to the reality of small landholdings in eastern states, Chouhan said integrated farming must move beyond slogans and become a practical, field-level model. He said that combining crop cultivation with horticulture, fisheries, animal husbandry, beekeeping and agro-forestry can significantly enhance the incomes of small farmers. He urged ICAR, state agriculture ministers and officials to ensure that integrated farming models are demonstrated to farmers in an inspiring and practical manner.

Emphasizing sustainable agriculture, the Union Minister underlined the importance of protecting soil health through balanced fertilizer use. He warned that indiscriminate use of fertilizers without soil testing increases input costs and damages soil fertility. He urged states to encourage farmers to use fertilizers only as per scientific requirements. Referring to natural farming as a major focus area of the Prime Minister, he appealed to farmers to adopt natural farming practices on at least a portion of their land.

Chouhan announced that a nationwide “Khet Bachao Abhiyan” would be launched from June 1, focusing on balanced fertilizer usage, soil health, modern technology adoption, awareness about government schemes and farmer education. He stressed the need to prevent diversion of subsidized fertilizers and ensure that subsidized inputs are used strictly for farming purposes.

Describing fake fertilizers, substandard seeds and counterfeit pesticides as serious crimes against farmers, the Union Minister said a large-scale campaign would be launched against such practices. He also emphasized the need for stricter laws and stronger action by states to ensure that farmers receive quality agricultural inputs without unnecessary increases in cultivation costs.

Highlighting the need to boost pulses and oilseeds production, Shri Chouhan said Eastern India possesses immense potential to make the country self-reliant in these sectors. He said farmers would increase cultivation of pulses and oilseeds only when assured of procurement support. In this regard, he stressed the need to strengthen PM-AASHA, procurement systems, NAFED, NCCF and state agencies.

The Union Minister also emphasized taking scientific research and technology directly to farmers through ICAR, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and other scientific institutions. He urged states to launch region-specific campaigns to ensure timely dissemination of research findings, modern technologies and scheme-related information to farmers.

Chouhan described Farmer ID as an effective mechanism for delivering benefits to farmers in a simple, transparent and faster manner. He said Farmer ID would help consolidate land, family and other details of farmers on a single platform, thereby reducing delays and difficulties in accessing loans, fertilizers and government scheme benefits.

He further stressed the importance of horticulture, high-value crops such as mangoes, export potential, clean planting material, nursery systems and market-oriented agriculture. According to him, fruits, vegetables and specialty crops cultivated in Eastern India have the potential to fetch better prices not only in domestic markets but also in exports.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the Eastern Regional Agriculture Conference provides an important opportunity for eastern states to prepare a shared roadmap for the future of agriculture. He thanked Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for organizing the conference and said it would strengthen the vision of “Purvodaya” while giving fresh momentum to agricultural productivity, climate-resilient farming and inclusive agricultural development in Eastern India.

The Chief Minister said Odisha is fundamentally an agrarian state where agriculture forms the backbone of livelihoods, food security and socio-economic development. He stated that the state government is committed to making agriculture more inclusive, climate-resilient and farmer-centric through a series of major initiatives.

Majhi informed that Odisha is working extensively on pulses production, edible oil self-reliance, crop diversification and expansion of cultivation. He also pointed out that with the rise in paddy production and procurement, challenges related to storage, evacuation and marketing have also emerged, making it essential to simultaneously strengthen value addition, management and market systems.

Highlighting Odisha’s farmer-centric initiatives, the Chief Minister referred to paddy procurement, input assistance, CM-Kisan assistance along with PM-Kisan, crop insurance, farm mechanization, FPO strengthening, cold storage expansion and promotion of agri-industries. He emphasized that policy support, infrastructure, organized marketing systems and entrepreneurship-driven approaches are necessary to connect farmers with sustainable and profitable agriculture.

Calling millets a “super food”, Majhi said these crops require less water and fewer fertilizers, making them especially beneficial for tribal regions. He also stressed the importance of organic farming, conservation of traditional crop varieties, biodiversity revival and greater focus by agricultural scientists on these areas.

He said Odisha’s priorities include strengthening FPOs, cold storage infrastructure, agri-entrepreneurship, coffee cultivation and better marketing of local agricultural products. According to him, exchange of best practices, innovations and experiences among eastern states would be one of the major outcomes of the conference and would serve as an important milestone towards agricultural self-reliance and farmer prosperity.

Union Ministers of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary and Ramnath Thakur, Odisha Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Bihar Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, Chhattisgarh Agriculture Minister Ramvichar Netam, West Bengal government representative-minister Ashok Keertania, Union Agriculture Secretary Atish Chandra, ICAR Director General Mangi Lal Jat, senior officials from the Centre and participating states, scientists, farmer representatives, KVKs, FPOs, startups, NABARD and banking institutions were also present on the occasion.