Visit of Union Agriculture Minister to ICAR-CRRI, Cuttack Marks a Key Milestone in Empowering Odisha’s Farmers
12 November 2025, New Delhi: The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Mr. Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a high-level meeting on “Convergence Strategies for Implementation of PM Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana, Mission for Atmanirbharta in Pulses and National Mission for Natural Farming” during his visit to ICAR-Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack on 10th November 2025. Mr. Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Deputy Chief Mnister, Govt. of Odisha graced the occasion as special guest. Dr. M.L. Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Additional Secretary, DARE & Secretary, ICAR joined virtually. Smt. F. Deborah Initha, Joint Secretary (Crops), Govt. of India, Dr. D.K. Yadav, Deputy Director General (Crop Science); Dr A.K. Nayak, Deputy Director General (Natural Resources Management); Dr. N.P. Dixit, Director, Indian Institute of Pulse Research, Scientists, officers from state government departments and about 400 farmers participated in the meeting.
The Union Minister stated that central government schemes, in collaboration with the state government, will significantly transform the lives of farmers. He highlighted that Odisha is making remarkable progress in vegetable cultivation through natural farming. He emphasized efforts to ensure farmers receive fair prices for their produce. The Minister encouraged the large-scale production of pulses in Odisha for its favourable climate. He urged farmers to move away from toxic chemicals and adopt natural and integrated farming practices, including animal husbandry, fisheries, and poultry. During his visit to Rajhans village in Cuttack Sadar, the Minister interacted with farmers to understand their agricultural challenges and advised them to diversify their crops beyond rice and vegetables, including seed production.
Mr. Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister, Government of Odisha in his address said that the State of Odisha is working jointly for the betterment of agriculture through Central Government sponsored schemes, financial and technical assistance decentralized schemes, policy convergence and coordinated implementation of various programmes.
Dr. M.L. Jat, Secretary, DARE & Director General of ICAR, stated that Odisha has a vast biodiversity structure. Currently, Odisha is emphasizing natural farming, and ICAR has undertaken domain work for this. Very soon, the domain of natural farming will be integrated with Odisha’s biodiversity. Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Additional Secretary of DARE and Secretary of ICAR, emphasized the need for area expansion and increased production of palm oil in Odisha.
Dr. D.K. Yadav, DDG (Crop Sciences), emphasized the need for coordinated efforts among government agencies, agricultural institutions, and farmer groups to effectively implement agricultural plans at the grassroots level. Dr. A.K. Nayak, DDG (NRM), highlighted that natural farming enhances soil health, reduces costs, and raises farmers’ incomes by eliminating costly chemical inputs and conserving water. Mrs. F. Deborah Initha, Joint Secretary (Crops), outlined the implementation schedule of the Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana, covering four districts of Odisha among 100 nationwide. Dr. N.P. Dixit, Director, IIPR, emphasized India’s potential to become a leading global exporter of pulses.
Dr. G.A.K. Kumar, Director, ICAR–CRRI, welcomed the Union Minister and dignitaries, different stakeholders, farmers and Dr. Rahul Tripathi, Principal Scientist proposed a formal vote of thanks.
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