"Centre to Invest ₹18,000 Crore in Building Agri-Export Clusters, Announces Chouhan"

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced today that the Central government will invest ₹18,000 crore to develop 100 agricultural export clusters. Additionally, the government plans to launch an oilseeds mission with an investment of ₹6,800 crore to boost self-sufficiency in production.
During a discussion on his ministry's performance in Parliament, Chouhan outlined plans to establish 50,000 climate-resilient villages and develop 1,500 new seed varieties to build a robust agriculture system. He also mentioned plans to provide farmers with digital identities as part of the government's ongoing efforts.
Chouhan criticized the Opposition Congress for allegedly treating farmers merely as vote banks and claimed that solutions to agricultural issues are being actively pursued by his ministry.
In response, Congress accused Chouhan of "lying" and "misleading" the Rajya Sabha. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala challenged Chouhan's statements, citing a 2015 Supreme Court affidavit that rejected the idea of offering farmers a 50 percent profit margin. Surjewala also criticized the government for not consistently buying crops at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), which Chouhan admitted in the House.
Aam Aadmi Party member Sanjay Singh also accused Chouhan of falsely claiming to have reduced fertilizer prices by ₹10.
Chouhan highlighted the government's comprehensive vision, including a ₹1.40 lakh crore investment in modern post-harvest infrastructure and plans to integrate 1,500 additional mandis with the electronic National Agriculture Mandi (e-NaM) system. He also emphasized the development of the seed sector and the revival of 2,500 traditional crop varieties.
To achieve self-sufficiency in pulses and oilseeds, Chouhan announced the development of model villages and expansion of micro-irrigation coverage to 1.2 crore hectares over the next five years.
BS