Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan addresses the gathering during the National Conference on Agriculture Kharif Campaign-2025, at PUSA in New Delhi on May 8, 2025.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the Union Government has reviewed the progress of the ongoing kharif crop season and the country has adequate stocks of seeds and fertilizers to meet the demands of farmers. Talking to reporters after the National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign, held here on Thursday, he said the meeting appreciated the decision of cancelling the Indus Water Treaty and said it will benefit the farmers in India.

Mr. Singh said the acreage of cultivation of paddy during 40.73 million hectares during the kharif season of 2023-24 and it has increased to 43.42 million hectares in 2024-25. “Rice production was 113.26 million tonnes in kharif 2023-24 , which has increased to 120.68 million tonnes in kharif 2024-25,” he said. In the case of maize, the cultivation was in 8.33 million hectares in kharif 2023-24, which increased to 8.44 million hectares in 2024-25. Maize production was 22.25 million tonnes in 2023-24 and it increased to 24.81 million tonnes in 2024-25.

He said total food grain area has increased by 3.8% as compared to last year, with major increase in rice and maize. Total food grain production in Kharif 2024 has increased by 6.81% as compared to last year’s kharif production. “Despite adverse climatic conditions, our food grain production is continuously increasing. The second estimate of rabi season is also very promising,” he said.

Earlier, addressing the conference, he said signing the Indus Water Treaty in 1960 was a historical mistake. “It was the misfortune of the country and its farmers that 80% of the water of the rivers flowing through our country had to be given to Pakistan. Now, we have cancelled this treaty after the Pahalgam terrorist attacks. Our farmers have the right over the water of the Indus River. Every drop of it will be used in agriculture, for power generation and for development. Farmers of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu-Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh will be able to get more water for irrigation,” he said.

He added that the requirement of seeds for this kharif is 164.254 lakh quintal and the country has sufficient quantity of seeds of 178.48 lakh quintal. “We will be able to provide improved seeds as per the demand of all the States,” he said adding that that adequate arrangements have been made for fertilizers such as urea, Di Ammonium Phosphate and Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) based fertilizers for the farmers.