Gujarat Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani on 29 September 2026 disclosed that the state has intensified enforcement against substandard seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides, with 276 inspection teams covering 6,380 dealers, registering 26 FIRs, and suspending 246 licences. The figures were presented at the National Agriculture Conference – Rabi Campaign 2026 held in New Delhi, organised by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on 28–29 September 2026.

Scale of Enforcement

Vaghani broke the data into two distinct enforcement phases. In the most recent cycle, 94 teams conducted inspections across 3,760 locations, resulting in 136 licences being cancelled or suspended and 15 FIRs being registered. These figures stack on top of the cumulative totals from the broader campaign, underlining what the minister described as a sustained, year-round commitment rather than a pre-season exercise.

The inspections targeted the quality of three critical farm inputs — seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides — violations involving which can directly affect crop yields and farmer incomes. This is the kind of ground-level accountability that agricultural enforcement agencies have historically struggled to maintain at scale.

Rabi Readiness and Budget Allocation

Beyond enforcement, Vaghani said Gujarat has ensured adequate seed stocks ahead of the Rabi 2026–27 sowing season. The state has also raised its agriculture budget to more than ₹17,000 crore for 2026–27, signalling a significant push on farm-sector spending. The two-day national conference brought together state agriculture ministers, senior officials from the Centre and states, and scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to coordinate Rabi preparedness across the country.

Micro-Irrigation Push in Gujarat

On water-use efficiency, the minister said the Gujarat Green Revolution Company has brought 25.91 lakh hectares under micro-irrigation. A provision of ₹1,250 crore has been made for the current year to extend coverage to an additional 2 lakh hectares. Micro-irrigation remains central to Gujarat's strategy for managing water stress in rain-shadow districts and improving input efficiency for smallholder farmers.

Outreach to Tribal Farmers

In a targeted welfare measure, the state plans to deploy 'Kisan Suvidha Rath' — a mobile agriculture services unit operated through EMRI-GVK — across 53 talukas in 14 districts of tribal areas. The initiative is designed to deliver agriculture-related services and guidance directly to farmers in remote locations, addressing the last-mile access gap that has long hampered extension services in Gujarat's Adivasi belt.

Gujarat's Demands from the Centre

Vaghani used the national platform to press the Union government on two specific asks: the introduction of stricter laws to replace older legislation on adulteration of farm inputs, and the earliest possible release of a final testing protocol for nano-fertiliser samples. The minister argued that outdated statutes limit the deterrent effect of enforcement and that the nano-fertiliser protocol gap creates regulatory uncertainty for both manufacturers and farmers. The broader conference agenda also covered digital agriculture initiatives including the Farmer Registry, Digital Crop Survey, AgriStack, natural farming, and crop diversification.

With Gujarat's enforcement data now on the national record, all eyes will be on whether the Centre responds to the state's legislative and regulatory asks before the Rabi sowing window closes.