Agricultural Research Must Begin In Fields, Not In Delhi: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Union agriculture and farmers welfare and rural development minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday emphasised that the real issues of agricultural research must be decided not in Delhi boardrooms but in farmers' fields.

“Lab-to-land integration is key,” he said during a press interaction at the National Soybean Research Institute (NSRI) in Indore, where he held extensive discussions with soybean growers and stakeholders from the oilseed industry.

Highlighting the government’s Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, Chouhan said the campaign focuses on developing major crops region-wise and yield-wise. “We are holding dialogues with farmers across the country — cotton growers in Coimbatore, sugarcane farmers in Meerut, pulses farmers in Kanpur — so that our research priorities reflect their real-world needs,” he added.

Bridging the lab-land gap

Chouhan pointed out that India has 16,000 agricultural scientists, who develop high-quality seeds and conduct cutting-edge research. “But they often work in isolation. There’s a critical gap between labs and land. Farmers and scientists must connect to achieve faster results,” he stressed.

During the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, 2,170 teams visited villages across India, reaching over 1.35 crore farmers. These interactions uncovered numerous research needs that had previously gone unnoticed in conventional planning.

“Earlier, scientists chose what to research. Now, farmers will help define that agenda,” Chouhan declared. He cited an example of progressive soybean farmers who claimed yields of 20 quintals per acre. “We must learn from such farmers,” he said.

Chouhan drives tractor at NSRI

During his visit to NSRI’s fields, Chouhan took the wheel of a tractor, accompanied by MP Shankar Lalwani, MLA Manoj Patel, and others.

“I am not a pseudo farmer,” he said with a smile. “I am a farmer first, not just an Agriculture Minister. Farming is in every cell of my body and in every breath I take.”