Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan has lauded the ‘Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan’ (Developed Agriculture Pledge Campaign) as a highly impactful initiative that has achieved widespread success across India.
Chouhan, as per an official release, emphasized that the campaign is not a one-time effort, it marks the beginning of a sustained movement to modernize Indian agriculture and enhance farmers’ prosperity through direct field-level engagement.
As part of the campaign, 2,170 teams comprising scientists, officials, and agricultural experts visited over 1.42 lakh villages, directly interacting with more than 1.34 crore farmers, he said.
The initiative witnessed active participation from chief ministers, Union ministers, state ministers, members of Parliament, MLAs, and a large number of grassroots representatives.
Interacting with media persons, the Union agriculture minister announced a series of immediate measures to enhance agricultural development and farmer welfare.
Chouhan emphasized the need to bridge existing gaps in knowledge, research, and institutional capacities to ensure tangible benefits for farmers.
Underlining the critical role of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), the minister stated that these would be designated as nodal agencies in every district, and would operate as coordinated teams dedicated to addressing farmers’ needs.
Efforts will also be made to bring uniformity and structural strengthening to the KVK system across the country, the minister added.
To ensure direct engagement with farming communities, KVK scientists have been asked to spend at least three days a week in the field.
Reaffirming his personal commitment, Chouhan added that he himself would visit farms twice a week to connect with the farmers on the ground and understand their issues first-hand.
He also stressed that true understanding of agricultural challenges cannot be achieved by sitting in an air-conditioned office.
Therefore, field engagement will become a core operational priority for all agricultural personnel, he observed.
At the national level, Chouhan underlined the need for greater coordination among all institutions working towards progressive agriculture and farmer prosperity.
To streamline efforts, he announced the establishment of a centralized coordination mechanism to align the functioning of key stakeholders.
Additionally, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) would state-wise appoint a Nodal Officer for agriculture.
The officer would oversee the scientific trials, identifying state-specific challenges, offering expert advice, and maintaining close communication with state governments.
The objective is to ensure that scientific insights and policy responses are tailored to the unique needs of each region.
The minister also assured that he, along with senior officials, will hold regular consultations with state governments to align strategies and deliver regionally relevant agricultural solutions.
Chouhan also flagged two pressing concerns during the campaign substandard seeds and pesticides. He said the ministry will take strong measures to strengthen the Seed Act and ensure stringent quality control mechanisms, so that only certified, high-quality inputs reach farmers.
“This campaign aims to fill up the gap between the research labs and the agricultural fields. We’ve seen remarkable work happening, but challenges persist. Our focus must now be on increasing productivity, reducing input costs, and ensuring that agriculture becomes a profitable and sustainable livelihood for every farmer,” the minister was quoted as saying in the document.