Kumar Bahukhandi
Minister of Agriculture and ST, SC, OBC & Minority Development in Government of ChhattisgarhRamvichar Netam highlights State’s Achievements at Bhubaneswar Zonal Conferenceon May 19, 2026 -Photo Credit CG/PR
Minister of Agriculture and ST, SC, OBC & Minority Development in Government of Chhattisgarh Ramvichar Netam Highlights State’s Achievements at Bhubaneswar Zonal Conference; Centre Offers Commendation
Raipur: Ramvichar Netam, Minister for Agricultural Development and Farmers’ Welfare, presented Chhattisgarh as a national model for agricultural innovation, farmers’ welfare, and sustainable farming at the National Zonal Conference held in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, on May 19, 2026 .
He stated that, under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, the state government is working with the utmost priority on increasing farmers’ income, agricultural diversification, and rural prosperity.
Union Agriculture Minister Shiveraj Singh Chauhan extended his congratulations and best wishes to Chhattisgarh for securing the first position among the five northeastern states in achieving its targets under the Oilseeds Mission.
Minister Netam informed the conference that paddy is being procured from farmers in the state at a rate of 21 quintals per acre, priced at ₹3,100 per quintal—a system widely regarded as the most transparent and historic support mechanism for paddy procurement in the country, he noted.
Over the past three years, the state government has achieved a record procurement of 437 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, facilitating direct payments of approximately ₹1.40 lakh crore into the bank accounts of farmers, Ramvichar Netam added.
From Landless Laborers to Digital Farming: Chhattisgarh’s Comprehensive Agricultural Vision
Speaking at the conference, Minister Netam emphasised that the state government’s efforts are not limited solely to large-scale farmers; rather, they extend to providing economic security to landless agricultural laborers as well, he stated.
Under the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Landless Agricultural Laborer Scheme, financial assistance of ₹10,000 per annum is being disbursed directly into the bank accounts of over as many as 500,000 families. He further noted that Chhattisgarh is rapidly emerging as a hub for horticulture and alternative farming practices. The cultivation of coffee and pears in the Bastar region, along with tea cultivation in Jashpur, is opening up new economic avenues within the tribal areas of the state, Netam informed.
Siddharth Komal Singh Pardeshi, the Agricultural Production Commissioner, informed the Zonal Conference that significant infrastructure has been developed in the state’s agricultural sector, including 128 high-tech nurseries, 71 cold storage facilities, 63 packhouses, and 428 solar dryers.
Significant work is also being undertaken in the fields of oil palm cultivation, the Bamboo Mission, natural farming, the expansion of pulses and oilseeds, and agroforestry. Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme), claim amounts exceeding ₹854 crore have been distributed to approximately 4.89 lakh farmers, Siddharth Komal Singh Pardeshi added.
During the conference, Pardeshi highlighted that the agricultural ecosystem in Chhattisgarh is being transformed to be both digital and transparent through the integration of AI, drone technology, and unified farmer portals.
Union Agriculture Minister Chauhan Praises Chhattisgarh
At the National Zonal Conference, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan lauded the Chhattisgarh government for its outstanding performance regarding the AgriStack portal, the expansion of pulses and oilseeds, the PM-AASHA scheme, natural farming, and the Oilseeds Mission.
He further congratulated Chhattisgarh for securing the first position among five states across Northeast and Eastern India—namely West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh—in achieving the targets set under the Oilseeds Mission, Chauhan remarked.
Present on this occasion were the Agriculture Ministers of the five states, alongside key officials from the Government of Chhattisgarh: Siddharth Komal Singh Pardeshi (Agriculture Production Commissioner and Departmental Secretary), Rahul Dev (Director of Agriculture), Lokesh Chandrakar (Director of Horticulture), and Gayaram (Joint Director of Agriculture).
