Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, held a high-level review meeting on January 20, 2025, to address agricultural issues. The meeting, held with senior officials from the Agriculture Ministry, focused on rabi crop progress, weather conditions, pest surveillance via the National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS), and the marketing of agricultural products, including import and export dynamics.
During the meeting, Union Minister emphasized the importance of consistent coordination between the central and state governments. He expressed his commitment to holding regular meetings with state agriculture ministers and encouraged officials to actively collaborate with state governments to effectively address on-the-ground challenges. Chouhan highlighted that working together is essential for resolving key issues affecting farmers and agriculture.
As of January 17, 2025, rabi sowing had reached 640 lakh hectares, surpassing the previous year’s figure of 637.49 lakh hectares by 2.51 lakh hectares. Officials noted that overall crop coverage and conditions this year are better compared to the previous season. The sowing of Tomato, Onion, and Potato (TOP) crops also showed significant progress, with higher sowing levels reported than in the same period last year.
The report highlighted an increase in wheat sowing, with 320 lakh hectares under cultivation compared to 315.63 lakh hectares last year. Pulses also recorded a rise, with 141.69 lakh hectares sown, up from 139.29 lakh hectares in the previous year. Coverage under Anna and Coarse Cereals stood at 54.49 lakh hectares.
Market trends revealed mixed price movements. While mandi prices for wheat (0.46%), mustard (0.14%), and soybean (0.25%) saw week-on-week increases, those for arhar (1.22%), rice (1.20%), gram (0.67%), potato (6.34%), and tomato (6.79%) declined.
Notably, wheat, rice, gram, mustard, and sesame are currently fetching prices higher than the Minimum Support Price (MSP), offering a positive outlook for farmers.
