Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Tuesday (September 16, 2025) that foodgrain output as well as fruit and vegetable production had seen a significant rise this year compared to the previous year.
He was speaking to reporters after a two-day National Conference on Agriculture – Rabi Campaign, a joint meeting between the Union and State Agriculture Departments to prepare the roadmap for upcoming winter seasonal crops.
“The Central government has set a production target of 362.50 million tonnes for 2025-26, up from 341.55 million tonnes last year. The country’s total foodgrain production reached 353.96 million tonnes in 2024-25, an increase of 21.66 million tonnes (6.5%) over the previous year. The country achieved record harvest in key crops like rice, wheat, maize, groundnut, and soybean. This output was 12.41 million tonnes higher than the set target of 341.55 million tonnes,” Mr. Chouhan said.
The conference discussed topics such as climate resilience; quality seeds, fertilizers and pesticides; horticulture, and natural farming. It also decided to boost pulses and oilseeds productivity and focus on integrated farming systems.
Stating that the conference was a success, he said the Centre and States will continue their coordinated efforts to ensure agricultural growth and farmers’ welfare. He added that against the practice in previous years of holding the conference for one day, this rabi conference was held on two days and it was proof of the government’s commitment to the farm sector.
