New Delhi, March 27 Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in the Rajya Sabha on Friday that excessive use of chemical fertilizers and excessive use of water are adversely impacting soil fertility in some parts of the country.
In a reply to supplementary queries during Question Hour, the minister said the central government is promoting crop diversification and has launched many schemes, including the Millets Mission.
Through these schemes, Chouhan said the Centre is making efforts to boost the production of millets, pulses, and oilseeds.
"Due to excessive use of chemical fertilizers and higher use of water, the soil fertility is getting affected at many places," he said.
Chouhan said the area and production of mills have increased in the last few years and expressed hope that the output and consumption would increase further.
He appreciated the farmers of Punjab for helping India achieve self-sufficiency in foodgrain production.
"I salute Punjab and its farmers. (I salute Punjab and its farmers)." He added that farmers alone cannot be held responsible for pollution.
In a written reply, Chouhan said the Department of Agriculture is implementing various schemes to promote crop diversification, including the National Food Security & Nutrition Mission (NFSNM) under which Millet (Shree Anna) cultivation is promoted.
Interventions under NFSNM are being implemented across 28 states and 2 Union Territories (UTs), including Punjab, for enhancing the production of various crops including Millets (Shree Anna), through area expansion and productivity improvement.
Under NFSNM, for the financial year 2025-26, an annual action plan of Rs 34.60 lakhs (Central share +state share) was approved for the state of Punjab to promote Millet cultivation in the state.
The approved plan for NFSNM -- Shree Anna includes assistance to the farmers through the state for demonstration, seed distribution, seed production, INM & IPM distribution, training etc.
Further, the Crop Diversification Programme (CDP) under the Pradhan Mantri - Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM-RKVY) is also being implemented in the original green revolution states -- Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh since 2013-14 to divert the area of water guzzling paddy crop to alternative crops like millets, pulses, oilseeds, coarse cereals etc.
In 2025-26, an annual action plan of Rs 103.75 crore (central share plus state share) has been approved for the state of Punjab for various interventions supporting crop diversification from paddy to other alternative crops.