From importer to exporter: Shivraj Chouhan says foodgrain output up 50% in decade

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said India's agricultural growth rate had risen to 4.5 per cent since 2014-15, compared with around 3 per cent during the Green Revolution, while agricultural production had increased nearly 50 per cent over the past decade. Speaking virtually at the Bharat Agriculture Conference 2026 in New Delhi, he said India had become self-sufficient in foodgrains and a leading global producer of several crops, though gaps in pulses and oilseeds remained. He said the government aimed to increase foodgrain production from the current 376 million tonnes to 550 million tonnes by 2047. Chouhan said the government's priorities included increasing farmers' incomes, reducing cultivation costs and ensuring remunerative prices. He acknowledged that farmers were often affected by adverse weather, market fluctuations and the gap between farmgate and retail prices. Highlighting government support, he cited Rs 2.09 lakh crore in crop insurance payouts, Rs 4.66 lakh crore distributed under PM-Kisan and increased fertiliser subsidies. He also said the government was working to balance farmers' interests with consumers' need for affordable food through its import-export policies. Outlining the push towards technology-driven agriculture, Chouhan said more than 11 crore farmers had received digital Farmer IDs to facilitate access to loans, insurance and government benefits. The government was also promoting climate-resilient seeds, drones, soil testing and digital platforms providing farmers with weather, crop disease and market information. He said agricultural research would increasingly focus on farmers' needs, while horticulture clusters and free trade agreements would help expand exports.