Agriculture

The minister said that under the agriculture infrastructure fund, support is extended to cold storages in agri-export clusters, at farm gate level, for small and marginal farmers as well as big businesses, APMCs/mandis to reduce post-harvest losses and increase farmers' returns.

The MoU, inked by Bangladesh’s DG Food Md Abul Hasanat Humayun Kabir and Joseph K. Sowers from US Wheat Associates, underscores a deepening partnership in food and trade.

The Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana draws inspiration from NITI Aayog’s Aspirational District Programme and first of its kind focusing exclusively on agriculture and allied sectors.

The minister has said that strict legal action, including cancellation of licenses and registration of FIRs, should be taken against the culprits, and effective prosecution must be ensured to secure conviction.

Launched in commemoration of the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2025, the ‘Seeding Strength’ campaign highlights the transformative role of agricultural cooperatives in India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal.

Shah revealed that in the coming months, cooperative dairies would start leveraging cow dung to produce organic manure and biogas.

Agroforestry, which integrates trees into farming systems, has been consistently championed by the government as a multi-faceted solution to national priorities. These include doubling farmers' income, increasing tree cover outside traditional forest areas, mitigating climate change, reducing timber imports, and ensuring sustainable land management.

The Union Minister highlighted the Government of India’s steadfast commitment to the growth of Jammu and Kashmir’s livestock and fisheries sectors as engines of rural income and nutritional security.