Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan praised Maharashtra’s efforts to develop a cotton picking machine. He assured that the government would fully support this initiative. Chouhan also instructed the ministry’s mechanisation department to take on similar projects.
The minister shared that he had seen such machines during his visit to Brazil. The machine he saw there could perform the work of 12 farm laborers, showing the potential for mechanisation to address labor shortages.
Maharashtra’s Agriculture Minister, Manikrao Kokate, highlighted that a lack of farm workers is a major challenge for the cotton industry. He said mechanisation could help solve this problem, as cotton picking requires intensive manual labor.
Chouhan emphasized the importance of understanding soil health to choose the right cropping patterns. He also encouraged farmers to try natural farming. According to him, there is no need to switch entirely to natural farming at once. Farmers can start with a small part of their land and gradually expand.
He added that natural farming, when done correctly, does not reduce necessary inputs. However, some farmers miss out on important steps because they do not follow the right methods.
The minister also urged farmers to diversify their crops to maintain soil health.
Chouhan made these remarks during the launch of the ‘One Nation – One Agriculture – One Team’ project. The initiative aims to bring together all stakeholders in the agriculture sector for better coordination.
