Govt targets 3.5% farming growth with Kharif outreach to 13 million farmers | Mint

New Delhi: The center has launched a massive outreach campaign to equip farmers with information, tools and technology before the Kharif-Saai season, which targets more than 3.5% growth in agricultural production in 2025-26. The Minister of Agriculture and Farmers, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Monday announced the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, a nationwide initiative running from all states and trade union areas from May 29 to June 12. The campaign aims to directly involve more than 13 million farmers, increasing an awareness of regional-specific Kharif crops, improved agronomic practices and modern techniques in animal husbandry, poultry and fisheries to increase revenue diversification. According to the minister, the drift will also educate farmers on central schemes that offer financial assistance, insurance, subsidies and support services. Kharif crops, which make up about 60% of India’s total crop production, include frog, maize, soybeans, tur and cotton – all who are very dependent on rainfall in the monsoon. The Government of the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast of a ‘above normal’ monsoon at 105% of the long period average, the government set a record target for 354.64 million tonnes (MT) for 2025-26, with 3.8% higher than 341.55 MT in 2024-25. The output of the frog is expected to rise from 136.30 MT to 147.35 MT, while wheat is estimated at 117.40 MT, from 115 MT. Maize output is expected to increase to 42.68 mt from 40 mt. However, the target for pulses was lowered to 26.47 MT for 2025-26 from 29.90 MT last year, after actual production dropped to 23.02 MT. The target for oilseeds remains almost unchanged at 44.75 mt. Chouhan expressed the confidence that the momentum of record production would continue in 2024-25. “After achieving record production last year, we are confident that we are more than 3.5% growth in agricultural production, well above the world average of 1-1.5%,” he said. Almost half of India’s agricultural land has been fed, which is a strong monsoon of utmost importance to crop success. Even irrigated countries depend on the reservoir levels supplemented during the rainy season. The 2024 monsoon season was the best in four years, with overall rainfall during the period 8% above normal, according to IMD data. As part of the efforts to optimize Kharif production, special emphasis will be placed on farmers training to interpret soil health cards for better crop and fertilizer decisions. In addition, the government plans to set digital tools for the hand of soil testing on the spot, which allow farmers to assess properties such as texture, organic matter, pH and nutritional levels in seconds, Mint reported earlier. This will enable precision farming and quick decision -making, says ML JAT, secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education. The campaign will also document innovations for grassroots and collect feedback to inform policies and research. All 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras will lead the driving force, coordinating with 113 ICAR institutes, agriculture universities and government departments. Each district deployed three teams consisting of scientists, officials and progressive farmers to visit three grams of Panchayats per day, which deals with 500-600 farmers daily.