“Fake agricultural colleges will be brought under control; Agriculture Council to be established soon”: Shivraj Singh

Shivraj Singh Chouhan addressed the 10th National Convention of Agrivision at Pusa, Delhi, yesterday. He said that, while further improving farmers’ livelihoods, India would no longer remain limited to meeting its own food requirements but would emerge as the ‘food basket’ of the entire world in the coming years. He made it clear that strict measures would be taken to curb the proliferation of private agricultural colleges operating without proper standards and issuing fake degrees. An Agriculture Council would soon be established to regulate these institutions and bring greater accountability to agricultural education. The government’s focus would be on ensuring quality in agricultural education, safeguarding students’ futures and strengthening the contribution of agriculture to the country’s development.

From an era of scarcity to self-reliance and record production

In his address, Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan highlighted the journey of Indian agriculture, recalling a time when the country had to depend on imported foodgrains under the PL-480 programme. Today, however, through the hard work of Indian farmers and the adoption of modern policies, the country has achieved complete self-reliance in foodgrain production. Between 2014 and 2024, India’s total agricultural production increased by 49 per cent. The country now ranks first in the world in rice production and exports, while it ranks second in wheat production. He emphasised that the challenge before India was no longer simply to increase production. Instead, the focus must shift towards scientific storage, efficient management and expanding exports to global markets. Strengthening these areas would help ensure that the country makes the best possible use of its agricultural output while creating further opportunities for farmers.

“You bring forth the nectar of ideas; we will formulate policies and implement them”

Shri Shivraj Chouhan described the expertise of students and farmers’ organisations as particularly important in the policymaking process. Calling upon the experts and students attending the convention to contribute their ideas and insights, the Union Minister said, “Deliberate in depth at this national convention and bring forth the nectar in the form of your conclusions. The government will take responsibility for sharing these ideas in the national interest and implementing them.” He emphasised that the discussions should lead to practical recommendations capable of contributing to agricultural development and addressing the challenges faced by farmers and students. Announcing a follow-up meeting, he said he would meet the representatives again within the next 15 days to one month to develop a detailed action plan based on the convention’s conclusions. The follow-up discussions would focus directly on developing and implementing both short-term and long-term plans, ensuring that the recommendations emerging from the convention translated into concrete action.