ANI
30 May 2025

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], May 29 (ANI): Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said that the country produced 270 lakh tonnes more crops as compared to last year, breaking all the previous records.

Addressing the Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare and Rural Development programme, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, 'I am very thankful to our farmers and want to congratulate them. So far, we have broken all previous records -- this year, we have produced 270 lakh tonnes more crops than last year.'

'However, we won't stop here. We aim to produce even more and make India the food basket of the world,' said Chouhan.

He expressed his gratitude to farmers and congratulated them for their outstanding contribution to India's agriculture sector.

Adding further, he said, 'Today, at 2,170 different locations across India, agricultural scientists, along with state and central officials and farmers, are participating in this programme, which will continue from May 29 to June 12. We seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath in Puri so that our farmers remain in the best conditions.'

'Farmers are not just Anna Daata but also Jeevan Daata. On one side, we have the farmers of our nation, and on the other, our armed forces -- if both stand strong, then nothing can stop India from becoming a Viksit Bharat,' he said.

Speaking about the campaign, Shivraj Chouhan said, 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyaan has been initiated in the entire country and teams of scientists are visiting 2170 places in over 700 districts of the country. This collaboration between farmers and scientists will give a new dimension to the welfare of farmers and agriculture... Now this campaign will run till June 12 continuously under 'One Nation, One Farmer, One Team'. Our effort is to increase production.'

Earlier in the day, Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' from Sakhigopal of Puri district, Odisha today.

This historic initiative launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is a concrete step towards transforming Indian agriculture and securing the food future of the country through scientific innovation and grassroots participation.

During the 15-day campaign, Chouhan will travel about 20 states. State governments will play a key role in realizing this mission and all states are expected to make this campaign a success through collective ownership and dedication.

In his speech, Chouhan said, 'This campaign will adopt a two-way communication approach, on the one hand scientists will share research and technical information with farmers, while on the other hand they will gather information about the challenges faced by farmers. These findings will help guide future research efforts and provide practical, location-specific solutions. To connect 'Lab to Land', scientists of our Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Krishi Vigyan Kendras will be associated with this campaign.'

This campaign will be organized in more than 700 districts from May 29 to June 12. 731 KVKs, 113 ICAR institutes, state level departments and officials of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries and innovative farmers will participate in this campaign.

Through this campaign, an effort has been made to add a strong chapter towards the resolution of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a Viksit Bharat. (ANI)