08 April 2026, Jaipur: The Government of India has initiated a new framework for agricultural planning through the Western Regional Agricultural Conference held in Jaipur, bringing together state governments and central leadership to deliberate on region-specific agricultural strategies.

The conference, chaired by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan, focused on strengthening Centre-State collaboration, enhancing farmers' income, ensuring food and nutrition security, and accelerating the adoption of digital agriculture systems.

The conference marks a transition from routine seasonal review meetings to theme-based regional consultations tailored to agro-climatic zones. Representatives from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Goa participated, along with policymakers, scientists, and progressive farmers.

The Minister stated that these conferences are designed to generate actionable outcomes, including a structured roadmap and implementation agenda for participating states.

Three key priorities were outlined: ensuring national food security, increasing farmers' income, and improving nutrition security. While India maintains sufficient stocks of wheat and rice, the government emphasised the need to enhance domestic production of pulses and oilseeds to reduce import dependency.

A major highlight of the conference was the emphasis on Farmer ID as a central pillar of digital agriculture. The system is intended to streamline delivery of government benefits, credit access, and input distribution. The Minister noted that direct benefit transfers linked to Farmer ID have already been implemented in some states.

Future integration of fertiliser distribution with Farmer ID is expected to improve transparency and reduce diversion of subsidised inputs.

The government reiterated its commitment to procurement of pulses and oilseeds under PM-AASHA, while wheat and rice procurement continues through the Food Department. States were advised to ensure timely procurement operations.

In cases where physical procurement is not feasible, price deficiency payment mechanisms may be used to compensate farmers. The role of the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) was also highlighted to address price fluctuations in perishable crops such as onion, potato, and tomato.

States have been encouraged to develop customised agricultural roadmaps with institutional support from the Centre. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research will play a role in providing scientific inputs and field-level support.

Specialised teams of scientists and experts will be deployed based on state-specific requirements under initiatives like the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan.

The Centre indicated a shift towards demand-driven policy implementation, allowing states to prioritise schemes based on local needs. Programmes such as micro-irrigation under "Per Drop, More Crop" can be adapted accordingly.