Govt committed to Take Agri Research from Lab to Land: Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan

In Maharashtra, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has appealed for synchronisation of ICAR and other stakeholders in agriculture for achieving the goal of One Nation, One Agriculture and One Team. Mr Chauhan was interacting with farmers from the Vidarbha region at a stakeholder consultation on Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan at Suresh Bhat Auditorium in Nagpur. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, and the State Agriculture Minister, Adv. Manik Kokate was present on this occasion.

Chauhan said the government is committed to bridging the gap between lab and land. He said ICAR scientists, along with agricultural extension officers, will visit the villages as a team and educate farmers about new varieties of seed and new innovations in agriculture.

Mr Chauhan, while emphasising increasing the farm production, said the clean plant programme is being implemented to ensure pure and disease-free nursery



plants. He also said the good quality of seeds, soil testing and low cost of cultivation should be well understood by farmers.

On this occasion, Agriculture Minister Chauhan, along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, inaugurated the National Soil Spectral Library (NSSL), which is a pioneering initiative in digital agriculture, developed collaboratively by the Nagpur-based National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSSLUP) and ICAR. With this launch, Maharashtra becomes the first state to have its soil map.

The minister also launched an AI-based smart trap for pink bollworm, a major pest affecting cotton crops. This technique will send alerts to the farmers about infected crops.

Mr Chauhan also holds a review meeting in the NBSSLUP Nagpur with ICAR and state agriculture officers about agriculture and rural development schemes in Maharashtra