Agrovision 2025 opened in Nagpur with a high-profile inaugural session that underscored India’s renewed focus on strengthening agriculture, livestock productivity, cooperatives, and rural enterprises. Senior leaders from the Union Government and the Government of Maharashtra participated, signalling strong multi-stakeholder commitment to rural transformation.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Shri Dattatray Bharne, Minister of State for Agriculture Shri Ashish Jaiswal, Minister of State for Cooperation Dr. Pankaj Bhoyar, NDDB Chairman Dr. Meenesh Shah, and other dignitaries were present at the inaugural ceremony.
Focus on Livestock Productivity and Cooperative Strengthening
Shri Nitin Gadkari highlighted the longstanding contributions of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and Mother Dairy to Vidarbha and Marathwada. Stressing the need for structured livestock development, he cited the example of India’s Gir cattle population thriving in Brazil and called for scientifically managed cattle farms in collaboration with veterinary universities. Recently NDDB Dairy Services began work on new cattle feed plant in Nagpur.
He also praised the formation of the Marathvarhad Mahila MPO, describing it as a successful model for women-led cooperative development. Gadkari encouraged Mother Dairy to explore innovative value-added products, including the integration of Nagpur oranges into premium dairy-based offerings for domestic and global markets.
Boosting Crop Productivity and Innovation
Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the establishment of a new Orange Plant Centre in Nagpur to support citrus growers in the region. He emphasised the need to enhance soybean productivity through scientific interventions, including support from ICAR and the adoption of advanced genome-editing technologies where suitable.
Reiterating the government’s goal of doubling farmers’ income, Chouhan stressed improving per-hectare yields, increasing access to high-quality seeds, reducing production costs through mechanisation, and strengthening “lab-to-land” transfer of innovations. He highlighted the role of MoFPI in value addition and called for deeper collaboration between agricultural universities, industry, and private sector partners.
NDDB’s Role in the Integrated Dairy Value Chain
The Agriculture Minister acknowledged NDDB as a unique institution that supports the entire dairy value chain—from milk production and animal nutrition to processing and marketing—helping improve farmer livelihoods across India.
Agrovision 2025: A Platform for Rural Advancement
With participation from policymakers, researchers, cooperatives, and agribusiness leaders, Agrovision 2025 aims to facilitate knowledge exchange and promote innovations that can enhance productivity, value addition, and rural entrepreneurship.
The event continues through the week with technical sessions, industry exhibitions, farmer workshops, and discussions on emerging opportunities in agriculture, dairy, horticulture, and allied sectors.
