Farmers voice strong support for ethanol after meeting Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan

August 5, 2026 10:40 AM

Farmers voice strong support for ethanol after meeting Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Farmer leaders from across the country have expressed strong support for the expansion of ethanol production, describing it as a major opportunity to boost farm incomes and strengthen India's energy security, during a meeting with Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at Krishi Bhavan on Tuesday. A delegation of the All India Kisan Coordination Committee (AIKCC), comprising representatives from Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telang...

Every ₹1 invested under KCC-MISS generates ₹2.30 for agriculture, government cites third-party assessment

August 3, 2026 6:34 PM

Every ₹1 invested under KCC-MISS generates ₹2.30 for agriculture, government cites third-party assessment

Every ₹1 invested under the Kisan Credit Card-Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (KCC-MISS) generates ₹2.30 in net value addition for the agriculture and allied sector, according to a third-party assessment conducted by the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru. The findings underline the scheme's contribution to improving farm productivity, expanding allied activities and strengthening access to affordable institutional credit. According to the assessment, the KCC-MI...

Kharif sowing reaches 787.37 lakh hectares

July 27, 2026 11:54 PM

Kharif sowing reaches 787.37 lakh hectares

The total area sown under kharif crops stood at 787.37 lakh hectares as of July 24, 2026, compared with 826.19 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year, registering a decline of 38.82 lakh hectares, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. Among major crops, rice was sown across 234.43 lakh hectares, down from 240.62 lakh hectares during the same period in 2025, a decrease of 6.19 lakh hectares. The area under pulses also declined to 84.57 ...

Saving soil, securing farms: How India is strengthening soil health through science, sustainability and technology

July 24, 2026 2:45 PM

Saving soil, securing farms: How India is strengthening soil health through science, sustainability and technology

Recognising soil as a strategic national resource critical to food security, agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods, India is accelerating efforts to promote scientific soil management through sustainable farming practices, digital technologies and climate-resilient agriculture. According to the government, healthy soil forms the foundation of India's agricultural economy, which supports more than 46 per cent of the country's workforce. With nearly 59 per cent of India's reported geogr...

India successfully exports 12.5 tonnes of Dashehari and Langra mangoes to Dubai by sea, boosting farmers’ returns

July 23, 2026 10:44 AM

India successfully exports 12.5 tonnes of Dashehari and Langra mangoes to Dubai by sea, boosting farmers’ returns

India has achieved a major milestone in fresh fruit exports with the successful shipment of 12.5 tonnes of Dashehari and Langra mangoes from Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, to Dubai by sea, demonstrating the commercial viability of a new export protocol developed jointly by the ICAR–Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (ICAR-CISH) and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). The consignment, exported in a 40-foot refrigerated container, was sent by S...

Kharif sowing area crosses 658 lakh hectares as of July 17

July 21, 2026 6:26 PM

Kharif sowing area crosses 658 lakh hectares as of July 17

The total area sown under kharif crops stood at 658.19 lakh hectares as of July 17, 2026, compared with 700.47 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on Tuesday. The latest figures show that while rice sowing has remained largely stable, acreage under pulses, coarse cereals, oilseeds and cotton has declined compared to the same period in 2025. Rice cultivation covered 166.41 lakh hectares, marginall...

Smart farming powers the next era of sustainable agriculture

July 18, 2026 1:53 PM

Smart farming powers the next era of sustainable agriculture

Farmers today are producing food under pressures that would have been unimaginable to previous generations. Input costs are rising and supply chains are unreliable. Water is scarcer. Weather is less predictable. And for a growing number of farmers in Sudan, in Ukraine, in Myanmar, in Gaza, the challenge is producing food at all, in the middle of active conflict. These are not marginal conditions. They describe the reality facing hundreds of millions of people who grow the food the world depends ...

ICAR develops 386 improved crop varieties in a year, majority climate-resilient: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

July 16, 2026 5:12 PM

ICAR develops 386 improved crop varieties in a year, majority climate-resilient: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed 386 improved crop varieties across 44 crops over the past year, with 94 per cent being climate-resilient and 29 biofortified, said Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday.   Speaking at the 98th Foundation Day celebrations of ICAR in New Delhi, Chouhan described the premier agricultural research institution as the "trailblazer of India's agricultural transformation", crediting its scient...

Shivraj Singh Chouhan to hold high-level talks with West Bengal CM on agriculture, rural development

July 13, 2026 4:30 PM

Shivraj Singh Chouhan to hold high-level talks with West Bengal CM on agriculture, rural development

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan will undertake a two-day visit to West Bengal on July 13 and 14 to review key agriculture and rural development programmes, hold high-level discussions with the state government, and interact directly with jute farmers, agricultural scientists and women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Chouhan will arrive in Kolkata on the evening of July 13 and hold a dinner meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Suve...

AI can add Rs 70,000 crore to India’s farm economy, agri-startups key to future: Jitendra Singh

July 8, 2026 6:34 PM

AI can add Rs 70,000 crore to India’s farm economy, agri-startups key to future: Jitendra Singh

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to add nearly Rs 70,000 crore to India's agricultural economy, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday, asserting that the next phase of India's startup revolution should emerge from farms rather than technology hubs. Addressing the 17th Agriculture Leadership Conclave 2026 in New Delhi, Singh said agri-startups would be the defining force of India's agricultural transformation, enabling farming to become a major source of entrepreneurship, e...