The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare organized the Eastern Regional Agriculture Conference in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on May 19, 2026. Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, chaired the high-level meeting alongside Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The conference served as a cooperative forum for state agriculture ministers, senior bureaucrats, scientists, banking experts, and farmer representatives from eastern states. The primary objective was to accelerate agricultural output, improve rural livelihoods, and enhance policy alignment between the Central and state governments across eastern India.
Core Objectives and Agenda
The convention established a cooperative framework to optimize resource allocation and evaluate central agricultural welfare schemes.
- Policy Synchronization: Creating a unified implementation blueprint for central sector and centrally sponsored schemes across eastern states.
- Income Enhancement: Identifying region-specific value-addition methods to optimize profit margins for marginal farmers.
- Resource Management: Formulating strict enforcement protocols to eliminate counterfeit inputs and prevent the black marketing of synthetic fertilizers.
Key Focus Areas and Central Initiatives
The discussions centered around digitizing agriculture, promoting sustainable ecology, and achieving import substitution.
Digital Agriculture Mission and Farmer Registry
The ministry reviewed the rollout of the decentralized Farmer Registry. This initiative creates a unique digital ID for every farmer, ensuring target-oriented delivery of subsidies, insurance claims, and agricultural credit.
National Mission on Edible Oils–Oilseeds (NMEO-OS)
Delegates assessed strategies to reduce import dependency on vegetable oils. The mission focuses on expanding oilseed cultivation area, supplying high-yielding seed varieties, and improving processing infrastructure in underutilized land pockets.
National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF)
The conference emphasized chemical-free farming to restore long-term soil microbial health. The roadmap includes validation of local natural farming practices by state agricultural universities and setting up dedicated market linkages for natural produce.
Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA)
The evaluation focused on improving Price Support Schemes (PSS) and Price Deficiency Payment Schemes (PDPS). The objective is to secure minimum support prices for oilseeds, pulses, and copra.
Farm Credit Expansion and Kisan Credit Card (KCC)
The ministry directed banking institutions to simplify formal credit delivery. The priority is to extend KCC benefits to all eligible dairy farmers, animal husbandry workers, and fishers to curb reliance on informal moneylenders.
Regional Innovations and State Presentations
Eastern states presented models of local crop diversification, technological adoption, and market integration.
| State | Specialization/Innovation Focus | Implementation Strategy |
| Odisha | Agricultural Extension Initiatives | Utilizing localized dissemination networks to transfer lab-scale technologies directly to field operations. |
| West Bengal | Seed Production Best Practices | Creating community-based decentralized seed villages to achieve self-sufficiency in climate-resilient crop seeds. |
| Jharkhand | FPO-Led Value Chains & Startups | Organizing smallholders into Farmer Producer Organizations to link rural tech startups with primary aggregators. |
| Bihar | Maize Production & Commercial Marketing | Enhancing post-harvest processing networks and establishing direct industrial buyer linkages for maize growers. |
Input Regulation and Sustainable Soil Health
The forum addressed supply chain tracking to reduce input costs and environmental degradation.
- Balanced Fertilizer Application: Promoting a scientifically backed NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium) ratio to prevent soil acidification.
- Alternative Fertilizers: Expanding the reach of Nano Urea and Nano DAP to decrease reliance on conventional bulk chemical fertilizers.
- Enforcement Mechanisms: Setting up state-level fast-track inspection teams to detect and penalize manufacturers of spurious pesticides.
IASPOINT Booster Facts for UPSC
- The Green Revolution in Eastern India (BGREI): Launched as a sub-scheme of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) to address stagnating food grain yields in Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
- Agro-Climatic Zones: The eastern region primarily falls under Zone IV (Middle Gangetic Plains) and Zone V (Lower Gangetic Plains), characterized by high rainfall, heavy soils, and immense potential for groundwater utilization.
- Pulse Production Mission: A targeted component under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) that promotes rice-fallow management, encouraging farmers to grow pulses like black gram and lentil immediately after harvesting paddy.
- Small and Marginal Landholdings: Eastern India contains one of the highest concentrations of fragmented landholdings in the country, with average holding sizes falling below one hectare. This makes FPO aggregation a major policy tool for achieving economies of scale.