Shivraj Singh Chouhan Anticipates 3.5-4% Growth in Agriculture and Allied Sectors by 2025

New Delhi, Jan 4 (NationPress) The agriculture sector and its allied sectors are projected to experience a growth rate ranging from 3.5 percent to 4 percent by 2025, stated Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday.

During a review meeting concerning various initiatives with state and union territory ministers in the national capital, Chouhan emphasized that with the New Year and new resolutions, "we will accelerate our efforts for agricultural advancement and farmers' welfare."

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced from the Red Fort last year that he will exert threefold effort in his third term. We must also commit to working at our utmost capacity," the Union Minister remarked in the meeting. "Under PM Modi's leadership, we have devised a six-point strategy to promote farmer welfare and enhance the agriculture sector," he added.

The Ministry of Agriculture is actively engaged in various initiatives such as micro-irrigation schemes, mechanization, the integration of technology, and innovative agricultural practices. "Our aim is to reduce production costs in order to boost income swiftly," he stated.

As part of the ‘PM Kisan Samman Nidhi’ initiative, a total of Rs 3.46 lakh crore has been disbursed to 11 crore farmers across 18 installments so far.

"In the initial 100 days of PM Modi’s latest term, over 25 lakh eligible farmers were added. The number of beneficiaries receiving the 18th installment rose to 9.58 crore," Chouhan noted.

The ‘PM Crop Insurance Scheme’ is recognized as the largest crop insurance scheme globally.

“Within this program, there are 876 lakh loanee applications and 552 lakh non-loanee applications. A total of 14.28 crore farmers have submitted applications, covering an insured area of 602 lakh hectares, with a gross insured amount of Rs 2,73,049 crore," the Agriculture Minister explained.

Four crore farmers have benefited from this scheme. Since its launch, claims amounting to Rs 17,000 crore have been disbursed to farmers, he added.

On January 1, the Union Cabinet decided to raise the provision for the crop insurance scheme from Rs 66,000 crore to over Rs 69,000 crore.

"The subsidy on fertilizers such as DAP will now be priced at Rs 1,350 per 50 kg bag, with a provision of Rs 3,800 crore allocated for this," the minister remarked.

Chouhan also highlighted the importance of regulating crops and noted that states are making significant improvements in this area.