Union Agriculture Minister inaugurates the 64th All India Wheat and Barley Research Workers’ Workshop

26 August 2025, Gwalior

"It is because of the hard work of our farmers that today our country can feed people across many nations of the world," – Shri Chouhan

Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, inaugurated the 64th All India Wheat and Barley Research Workers’ Workshop today at the auditorium of Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Agricultural University, Gwalior.

On this occasion, Shri Aidal Singh Kanshana, Minister for Farmers Welfare & Agriculture Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh; Dr. M.L. Jat, Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR); Shri Pramod Kumar Meherda, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India; Dr. A.K. Nayak, Deputy Director General (Natural Resource Management), ICAR; Dr. Ratan Tiwari, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat & Barley Research, Karnal; Dr. B.R. Kamboj, Vice-Chancellor, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar; and Dr. Arvind Kumar Shukla, Vice-Chancellor, Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Agricultural University, were present on the dais.

Addressing the gathering as Chief Guest, the Union Agriculture Minister said, “Farming runs in my veins, and farmers reside in my every breath.” Shri Chouhan emphasized that increasing production, reducing costs, and ensuring fair prices to farmers for their produce are the top priorities. He pointed out that in the last 14 years, wheat production has increased from 86.5 million tonnes to 117.5 million tonnes, registering a 44% growth. He noted that due to the combined efforts of scientists and farmers, wheat and barley production in India is sufficient not only to feed the nation but also to contribute to global food needs.

Highlighting the need for crop diversification, he stressed that the country should produce only as much wheat as required and focus equally on pulses, rice, and oilseeds to reduce dependence on imports. He underlined the necessity of policy reforms alongside higher productivity to achieve this. Shri Chouhan also remembered Dr. M.S. Swaminathan and Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia, praising their visionary policies. He further called for strict action against companies selling spurious pesticides without certification.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Kanshana highlighted that scientists from 12 states are participating in the workshop and contributing towards higher yields. However, he cautioned that farmers are resorting to excessive use of fertilizers to increase production, which requires rethinking. He drew the attention of the Union Agriculture Minister to the rampant sale of fake pesticides in the market, which is ruining farmers’ efforts, and urged strong regulatory action. He also advised farmers to adopt natural fertilizers and focus on quality crop production.

The programme was chaired by Dr. M.L. Jat, who appreciated the 3.9-fold increase in wheat productivity achieved through AICRP initiatives (from 913 kg/ha to 3560 kg/ha). He also projected targets of 125 million tonnes by 2030 and 150 million tonnes by 2050, while maintaining the wheat cultivation area at 30 million hectares.

Dr. Arvind Kumar Shukla stated that the increase in crop production is the result of pro-farmer policies of the Government of India, innovative research by scientists, and the relentless efforts of farmers. However, with the rise in production, several challenges have also emerged, including environmental pollution, excessive use of fertilizers, declining groundwater levels, spread of weeds, and the intensification of climate change. He said ICAR has a complete mechanism in place to address these issues in collaboration with agricultural universities.

Dr. Ratan Tiwari, Director, ICAR-IIWBR, presented the annual report of the institute.

On this occasion, the Best AICRP Centre Awards for excellence in trials and reporting were conferred on the Wheat Research Centre, Vijapur (Funded Centre), and Wadura, SKUAST-Kashmir (Voluntary Centre).

(Source: ICAR–Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Gwalior)