With farmers ready to start sowing kharif crops in July to coincide with the onset of the southwest monsoon, the country can expect a new record in foodgrains' yield, said Union Agriculture Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is currently on a 15-day farmer-outreach campaign across the country. A bumper foodgrain production in 2025-26 may further help ease inflation.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast an above-normal southwest monsoon for the entire 2025 season – from June to September. Despite the monsoon’s progress having stalled since May 26, the IMD forecasts that the southwest monsoon is expected to revive between June 12 and 18, and advance into central and eastern India.
According to the agriculture ministry’s third estimate, India’s foodgrain production hit a record 168.06 million tonnes in the 2024-25 kharif season. Kharif foodgrain output has risen 31.23 per cent since 2014-15.
Chouhan, who is leading a 15-day nationwide Viksit Krishi Abhiyan (Developed Agriculture Campaign), said the outreach program ahead of kharif sowing would help refine policies and research plans to boost agricultural production.
During visits to 10 states so far, the minister said he learned from farmers that existing crop varieties in some areas have developed resistance to emerging pests. Farmers also raised concerns about fake pesticides and sought greater protection during price crashes.
Calling for for stringent laws to curb the sale of fake and substandard pesticides, and better implementation of soil health cards to ensure balanced fertiliser use, Chouhan said, “We need to frame a stringent law to address this. Now they get away with paying some penalty. We should come out with a strict law to punish those engaged in selling poor/substandard pesticides."
On pulses and oilseed production, the minister said output has improved, but India still has far to go to achieve self-reliance and reduce import dependency.
Research plans and policies for short, medium and long-term implementation will be developed based on inputs from the farmers, he said.
To tackle per-hectare yield gaps, the government is identifying 100 districts under the Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhyan Krishi Yojana scheme. “The contours of the schemes are getting ready and will be launched soon,” Chouhan said, adding that the government is working with a mission approach, distributing better quality seeds and educating farmers on the best practices while ensuring procurement.
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