9.76 crore farmer IDs rolled out for easier access to benefits: Shivraj Chouhan
New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Friday that 9.76 crore farmer IDs have already been created under an accelerated campaign to provide benefits of government schemes to farmers in a simpler, smoother and more targeted manner.
Addressing a press conference here, the minister said this would reduce the need for farmers to repeatedly submit different documents and would ensure greater transparency in the distribution of fertilisers, assistance and other facilities while ensuring that benefits reach the correct beneficiaries.
He said that keeping in mind the uncertainties associated with weather conditions, the Centre has also prepared a national seed reserve of 1.74 lakh quintals. Advance preparations have been made to ensure that farmers do not face any difficulty in getting seeds if there is delayed rainfall, prolonged dry spells or a need for re-sowing in any region.
On the issue of agricultural credit, the Minister said the average size of farm loans in the country is around Rs 1.32 lakh, though there are major variations across states and regions. He pointed out that the average is considerably lower in eastern India.
The Minister said meetings would be held with banks in states where agricultural credit flow remains low, so that adequate loans can be made available to farmers in time, and they are able to make timely investments in agriculture.
Chouhan said the Centre and state governments were jointly working to ensure that the Kharif season becomes a season of preparedness, coordination and farmer-centric policymaking.
He said the first and most important condition for the success of any crop is the availability of quality seeds and asserted that the availability of seeds for Kharif 2026 was fully satisfactory.
The Minister informed that approximately 173 lakh quintals of seeds are required for the Kharif season across the country, while 192 lakh quintals of seeds are available. In other words, around 11% more seeds than the requirement have been arranged.
He said seed allocation according to the needs of different states has already been completed, and special emphasis has been laid on ensuring that states lift the seeds in time so that they reach farmers before Kharif sowing begins.
Chouhan also said that natural farming and balanced use of fertilisers were also discussed extensively during the conference. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh said 20 lakh farmers have registered for natural farming, covering nearly 8 lakh hectares of land.
He added that many farmers are already following natural farming methods through traditional practices. The Minister described integrated farming as particularly important for small and marginal farmers and said it could become a practical and sustainable way of increasing farm incomes.
–IANS
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