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...

Centre steps up El Niño preparedness as monsoon improves; weekly reviews, contingency plans underway for Kharif season

July 8, 2026 4:24 PM

Centre steps up El Niño preparedness as monsoon improves; weekly reviews, contingency plans underway for Kharif season

Even as concerns persist over the possible impact of El Niño on the southwest monsoon, the Centre has intensified its preparedness measures with weekly monitoring, district-level contingency plans, seed reserves and enhanced farmer support initiatives to safeguard the ongoing Kharif season. The government's preparedness was reviewed at the highest level during a meeting chaired by Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr. P.K. Mishra on July 7, where senior officials from more than 15 mini...

India-Australia Cooperation Expands Across Agriculture, Space, Innovation and Energy

July 8, 2026 3:47 PM

India-Australia Cooperation Expands Across Agriculture, Space, Innovation and Energy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-day official visit to Australia from July 8 to 10 is expected to further strengthen cooperation across sectors, including agriculture, science and technology, space, innovation and clean energy. Over the past decade, these areas have become key pillars of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, complementing the growing strategic and economic engagement between the two countries.   Agricultural cooperation has steadily expanded since 2012,...

Centre steps up Kharif preparedness amid El Niño threat; 315 vulnerable districts identified

June 24, 2026 10:57 AM

Centre steps up Kharif preparedness amid El Niño threat; 315 vulnerable districts identified

With concerns mounting over the possible impact of El Niño and a delayed southwest monsoon, the Central Government has intensified preparations for the upcoming Kharif season, unveiling a comprehensive contingency strategy aimed at protecting farmers and ensuring food security. Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a high-level virtual review meeting on Tuesday with state agriculture ministers, district collectors, senior officials, scientists from the In...