Chouhan Urges 100% Digital Mission Saturation, Boosts Pulses Production

Digital Agriculture Mission: 100% Saturation Goal Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan urged all states to reach 100 per cent saturation under the Digital Agriculture Mission and the Pulses Self‑Reliance Mission. He highlighted that 10.41 crore Farmer IDs have been generated across 26 states and UTs, covering 84.68 per cent of PM‑KISAN beneficiaries and 77 per cent of operational landholdings. The minister stressed that the ID scheme is a key transparency measure, ensuring payments go directly to farmers’ bank accounts. He warned that meeting the one‑month turnaround for IDs requires uninterrupted fund flow to camps and urged states to work within committed timelines.

Digital Land Records & Crop Survey Expansion Chouhan praised the Ministry’s progress in geo‑referencing 5.9 lakh villages, achieving 93.05 per cent coverage. Digital Crop Survey coverage has been scaled up from 290 districts in 2024‑25 to 650 districts by Rabi 2025‑26, with a target of 692 districts by Kharif 2026‑27. The area under survey will rise from 9.18 crore hectares in 2025‑26 to 13.4 crore hectares in the coming Kharif season, up from 3.87 crore hectares in 2024‑25. He called for accuracy in map integration and data verification as the backbone of the mission.

Pulses Self‑Reliance Mission: Production & Value Chain Pulses production increased to 274.09 lakh tonnes in 2025‑26 from 256.83 lakh tonnes in 2024‑25, while imports fell to 59.64 lakh tonnes from 72.56 lakh tonnes. Area under pulses cultivation grew to 286.46 lakh hectares, and productivity improved to 957 kg/ha from 926 kg/ha. To reduce import dependence, the government aims to set up 528 processing units across states by 2026‑27. Chouhan directed officials to accelerate cold‑storage, market linkages, and timely input supply through public‑private partnerships, ensuring farmers receive timely payments and avoid losses during sowing, harvesting, and sales.