Union Agriculture Minister Interacts with ICAR Scientists and State Stakeholders on Farmer-Centric Agricultural Technologies in Patna, Bihar

20 August 2026, Patna

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare & Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, interacted with scientists, farmers, officials and other stakeholders during the “Kisan Mahila, Yuva Rojgar, Shramik Uthan Sahjan Kalyan Sambad” held at the Bihar Agricultural Management & Extension Training Institute (BAMETI), Patna today4. The programme was organised by the Department of Agriculture, Government of Bihar.

During the interaction, Shri Chouhan engaged with Directors, Heads and scientists of ICAR institutes located in Bihar to discuss region-specific agricultural technologies, their dissemination through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), and capacity building of farmers and other stakeholders.

The ICAR delegation was led by Dr Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR, and coordinated by Dr Ranjay K. Singh, Assistant Director General (Agricultural Extension), ICAR; Dr Anup Das, Director, ICAR-RCER, Patna; and Dr. Vikas Das, Director, ICAR-NRC Litchi, Muzaffarpur.

The interaction focused on the progress and field-level adoption of region-specific technologies, mechanisms for their wider dissemination through KVKs, and capacity-building initiatives. Discussions also covered the need for demand-driven research addressing regional agricultural priorities and areas where greater support and convergence with the State Government could strengthen technology dissemination and adoption.

During his visit to ICAR-RCER, Patna, Shri Chouhan emphasised the need to translate agricultural research into tangible benefits for farmers, with particular focus on Integrated Farming System (IFS) models tailored to farmers with different resource endowments. He highlighted the potential of well-designed IFS models to provide viable and sustainable income opportunities for small and marginal farmers by integrating multiple farm enterprises.

The Union Minister stressed that agricultural technologies should be result-oriented, field-tested and scalable, with effective support from State development agencies to ensure their wider adoption beyond research institutions. On natural farming, he encouraged farmers to begin adoption on a small scale and gain confidence through field-level experience. He also underlined the importance of developing stronger market linkages for naturally produced commodities.

Shri Chouhan further emphasised the importance of farmer-to-farmer extension, calling for greater networking among progressive farmers and wider dissemination of proven technologies, innovations and successful farm models.

The interaction underscored the importance of strengthening research-extension linkages and fostering coordinated action among ICAR, State agencies, farmers and markets to ensure that agricultural innovations contribute effectively to enhanced farm incomes, employment generation and sustainable agriculture.

The programme at BAMETI, Patna, was also attended by Shri Vijay Kumar Sinha, Minister of Agriculture; Shri Shravan Kumar, Minister of Rural Development; and Shri Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, Minister of Revenue and Land Reforms, Government of Bihar. More than 400 farmers, youth and women participated in the programme and shared their experiences, perspectives and concerns relating to agriculture, rural livelihoods and employment.