Union minister calls for increasing crop production
Source: Chronicle News Service

Noney, May 05 2025: Union minister of agriculture and farmers' welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a meeting with all the senior officials of ICAR on Monday, during which, he reviewed the Horticulture Division of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and directed the officials to work together with the goal of advancing the country to the top in global productivity.

At the meeting attended by officials of ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Tamenglong, the Union minister shared his broad views in the interest of the development of the horticulture sector and the farmers associated with the sector.

He said, "In the coming times, as the socio-economic prosperity increases, the consumer demand for horticulture products will also increase rapidly, keeping this in mind, we wiH have to work in a better way to ensure better production.

A campaign should be run for popularisation of research in the horticulture sector".

The minister, while emphasising on increasing productivity at the global level, stated, "Full efforts should be made to reach the top level globally, we are better in the case of some products, but we will have to work on more products while adopting high standards of productivity, so move forward with the goal of increasing production-productivity with good quality".

He also talked about studying the better practices in horticulture crops as well as making efforts to ensure access to research and information to the farmers, so that horticulture farmers can benefit from the schemes and work should be focused on this.

Shivraj also talked about the use of pesticides in the right quantity and also directed ICAR to take up research and appropriate steps for the prevention of diseases in crops.

He emphasised on increasing the production of crops with high nutritional capacity, healthy crops while avoiding deadly pesticides, and added that good varieties of plants should be supplied to the farmers.

The minister also said that more special research and efforts should be made regarding the production of special types of crops like cardamom, saffron, betel nut, black pepper, etc.

Also, he expressed satisfaction that along with new varieties, scientists are committed to the conservation and promotion of some old varieties giving good yield.

Talking about some crops, especially potato, onion, tomato, Shivraj stated that the difference between the price received by the farmers and the amount paid by the consumers should be reduced, so that the direct benefit reaches the farmers.

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