Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, said technology 'reduces a farmer's input costs, lowers the need for manual labour and increases returns from crops' — calling it 'the real innovation for farmers.' Addressing the closing session of the fifth Innovative Farmers' Meet in Ladwa town, Kurukshetra, Saini stressed that agricultural technology is meaningful only when it is affordable, easy to use, and repairable locally.

Key Remarks at the Innovative Farmers' Meet

The event was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and marked a departure from typical urban-centric industry conferences. Saini noted that the distinctive feature of the Innovative Farmers' Meet was that discussions were 'not confined to big cities or conference halls, but were being taken directly to farmers.' He inaugurated and toured an exhibition of agricultural machinery and interacted with progressive farmers on the sidelines.

'The true success of any technology should be reflected in the farmer's account book,' Saini said, underlining an output-first approach to agri-innovation.

Challenges Facing Agriculture and Recommended Measures

The Chief Minister acknowledged that agriculture today 'faces serious challenges such as weather uncertainties, increasing water scarcity and deteriorating soil health.' He called for a shift toward farming practices that can withstand changing conditions while raising farmers' income.

For the Haryana belt, where paddy and wheat dominate cropping patterns, Saini recommended direct seeding of rice, crop-specific micro-irrigation, and land levelling. He urged farmers to get soil tested and apply fertilisers according to their land's specific requirements, while maintaining soil fertility through crop diversification, organic matter, and scientific guidance.

Machinery Access, Youth Training and Cooperative Models

Saini pointed out that small farmers cannot individually afford expensive machinery and emphasised the role of farmer groups, cooperative societies, and rental machinery centres. 'The benefits of one machine should reach multiple farms,' he said. He also called for training village youth to operate and repair farm equipment, arguing this would simultaneously reduce farmers' costs and generate rural employment.

Government Schemes and Natural Farming Push

The Chief Minister cited several ongoing initiatives under the Narendra Modi-led central government. Under the PM-KUSUM scheme, farmers receive a 75 per cent subsidy for solar pump installation, and 1.95 lakh solar pumps have been installed in Haryana so far. For paddy stubble management, ₹1,200 per acre has been disbursed, with ₹907 crore already provided as subsidy to 10 lakh farmers.

On natural farming, Saini said approximately 2 lakh farmers have registered 3 lakh acres on the state's dedicated portal. Verification of 23,930 farmers covering 44,000 acres has been completed, and in 2025-26, natural farming was practised on 20,727 acres across the state. He urged industries to support farmers with training on quality and food safety standards and help them access better markets.

With Haryana's agricultural sector at an inflection point between traditional cropping and technology-led diversification, the pace at which affordable innovations reach smallholder farms will be the defining measure of these commitments.