Ziraat Times Team Report
New Delhi, October 14: Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said the government would establish an Agriculture Council to regulate agricultural education institutions and take action against colleges operating without adequate standards or issuing fake degrees.
Addressing the 10th National Convention of Agrivision at Pusa in Delhi, Chouhan said the government would work on short-term and long-term plans to address concerns affecting agricultural students and ensure that their degrees retained their value.
He said he would meet representatives of the convention again within 15 days to one month to develop an action plan based on the recommendations emerging from the discussions.
“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,” Chouhan said, urging students, researchers and agricultural organisations to contribute practical suggestions for improving the sector.
Foodgrain production rises 49% in a decade
Highlighting India’s agricultural performance, Chouhan said the country’s total agricultural production had increased by 49 per cent between 2014 and 2024. He also said India had become the world’s largest producer and exporter of rice, while ranking second in wheat production.
Recalling the country’s earlier dependence on imported foodgrains under the PL-480 programme, he attributed the shift towards self-reliance to farmers’ efforts and changes in agricultural policies.
He said the next challenge was to improve storage, management and access to international markets so that increased production could translate into better opportunities and incomes for farmers.
Chouhan said India should aim to move beyond meeting its domestic food requirements and emerge as a major supplier to global food markets while continuing to improve farmers’ livelihoods.
Focus on agricultural students and quality education
The minister said institutions would not be allowed to operate merely as commercial ventures collecting fees and issuing degrees without meeting appropriate standards.
He cited qualifications such as BSc Agriculture and MSc Agriculture, stressing that students’ time, effort and financial investment in education should not go to waste. The proposed regulatory measures, he said, would seek to curb substandard institutions and protect the credibility of agricultural qualifications.
Diversification and technology for small farmers
Referring to India’s average landholding size of 0.96 hectares, Chouhan said small and marginal farmers needed to diversify their sources of income rather than depend exclusively on grain cultivation.
He called for greater integration of fruit and vegetable cultivation, medicinal plants, animal husbandry, fisheries, beekeeping and natural farming with conventional agriculture.
The minister also highlighted the potential role of artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics in modernising farming practices and improving efficiency.
During the convention, Chouhan released a booklet documenting Agrivision’s 10-year journey. Agricultural scientists, researchers and students from across the country attended the event.
