The BusinessLine Agri and Commodity Summit 2025, held in New Delhi, spotlighted the pressing issue of climate change and its profound impact on agriculture. The event brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and experts to discuss adaptive and mitigative strategies for creating a resilient agricultural sector.
Government’s Dual Strategy: Adaptation and Mitigation
Union Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi outlined the government’s two-pronged approach to address the challenges posed by climate change.
The adaption measures include developing drought and flood resilient crop varieties, implementing efficient water management system and protecting farmers against extreme weather-induced losses through better crop insurance coverage.
To mitigate these challenges, Chaturvedi highlighted initiatives to promote natural farming to reduce chemical inputs and improve soil health and leverage carbon markets to encourage climate-smart agricultural practices.
Strengthening Rural Climate Resilience through PACS
Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary (Cooperation), emphasized the pivotal role of Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) in fostering rural climate resilience. He discussed the government’s ambitious plan to establish two lakh multi-purpose PACS, broadening their role beyond credit and input distribution.
To address rural storage challenges, the ministry also plans to create 70,000 grain storage points across the country, managed with active PACS involvement. These storage facilities are expected to reduce transportation costs and mitigate post-harvest losses.
Dr. Bhutani said, “We can address the issues of climate change by embracing technology, improving access to economies of scale, leveraging digital platforms, and enhancing buying and selling capabilities. These approaches, which are inclusive and crucial, are especially important in the context of climate resilience”.
NABARD’s Four-Pillar Approach to Combat Climate Change
NABARD Chairman Shaji K.V. detailed a comprehensive strategy built on four pillars. The first is to accelerate green lending to expanding financial support for environmentally sustainable agricultural practices. Second, improve data access to develop a robust agricultural data warehouse, aimed at formalizing farmers’ profiles and enhancing their access to credit and schemes. Third, internal green transformation to allign NABARD’s internal operations with green initiatives. Fourth, resource mobilization to secure investments for climate-resilient agricultural activities.
A Unified Vision for a Resilient Future
The summit underscored the importance of collective action by government bodies, cooperatives, financial institutions, and farmers in combating climate change. The innovative measures discussed signal a commitment to safeguarding agriculture against climate vulnerabilities while promoting sustainability and resilience in rural India.
