Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Making agriculture more climate-resilient, technology-driven and globally competitive, Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 16 unveiled a roadmap for ‘Viksit Krishi and Samruddh Kisan’ as a key pillar of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Addressing the 98th Foundation Day celebrations of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in New Delhi, Chouhan set a target to develop 100 Climate Smart Villages, extend ICAR technologies to 100 million farmers, launch the ‘One Institute-One Grand Innovation’ initiative, establish an ICAR Open Digital Knowledge Platform, strengthen laws against counterfeit seeds and pesticides, and generate ₹10,000 crore in internal resources by 2029 through technology commercialisation.
Calling farmers “the soul of agriculture” and scientists “its brain”, he said India’s agricultural transformation would be driven by the combined efforts of Government policies, farmers’ hard work and scientific innovation.
Highlighting India’s achievements in foodgrain, horticulture, milk and fisheries production, Chouhan said the next phase of agricultural growth should prioritise quality over quantity to improve public health and enhance India’s competitiveness in global markets.
Referring to challenges posed by climate change and El Niño, he called for faster adoption of climate-resilient farming, district-specific planning and better agricultural risk management. He added that India’s expanding access to international markets made it essential to produce high-quality, export-oriented agricultural products.
Chouhan said that India has recorded a production of 376 million tonnes of food grains and 377 million tonnes of horticultural produce this year despite challenges like climate change.
He said the ICAR has developed 386 improved crop varieties across 44 crops over the past year, with 94 per cent being climate-resilient and 29 biofortified.
Seven major goals
Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan outlined seven major priorities for ICAR over the coming years:
-Develop 100 Climate Smart Villages before ICAR’s centenary to demonstrate climate-resilient agriculture, integrated farming, water conservation and risk-reduction models.
-Launch the ‘One Institute-One Grand Innovation’ initiative, with every ICAR institute delivering at least one transformational innovation—such as a crop variety, vaccine, digital tool or climate-smart solution—within the next two years.
-Extend ICAR technologies, scientific innovations and modern agricultural solutions to 100 million farmers by ICAR’s 100th Foundation Day.
-Launch ‘Mission ICAR-100’ to transform Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) into innovation hubs, climate advisory centres, startup support centres and farmer technology demonstration centres, along with a nationwide outreach programme covering at least 100 villages per KVK.
-Establish an ICAR Open Digital Knowledge Platform to provide farmers free access to scientific advisories, crop guidance, soil testing information, weather forecasts and market updates through mobile phones.
-Strengthen legal provisions against counterfeit seeds and pesticides while developing simple field-level technologies to help farmers verify the quality of agricultural inputs.
-Generate ₹10,000 crore in internal resources by 2029 through commercialisation of ICAR technologies, crop varieties, vaccines and licensing, while continuing Government support.
