On January 4, 2026, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW) and Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), released 184 newly developed crop varieties across 25 different crops at an event held in New Delhi, Delhi.
- During the event, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, highlighted that in the 2024–25 crop year, India became the world’s largest rice producer, achieving 150.18 million tonnes (MT), surpassing China’s 145.28 MT.
Exam Hints:
- What? Release of 184 new crop varieties across 25 crops
- Who? Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, MoAFW and MoRD
- Where? New Delhi (Delhi)
- Developer: ICAR (60), state & central agricultural universities (62), private seed companies (62)
- 184 Crop Varieties: Cereals (122), Cotton (24), Oilseeds (13), Fodder Crops (11), Pulses (6), Sugarcane (6), Jute & Tobacco (2)
- Key Fact: India became the world’s largest rice producer in 2024–25, producing 150.18 MT, surpassing China
About 184 New Crop Varieties:
Developer: The 184 improved crop varieties were developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under MoAFW-60 varieties, state and central agricultural universities- 62 varieties, and private seed companies – 62 varieties.
Initiative: The release of new crop varieties follows the government’s “lab to land” approach, ensuring that farmers directly benefit from the targeted research and innovations of the country’s agricultural scientists.
New Crop Varieties:
- Cereals: It includes 122 cereal varieties: 60 rice, 50 maize, 4 sorghum, 5 pearl millet, and 1 each of ragi, small millet, and proso millet, covering key staples and nutritious millets important for climate resilience.
- Cotton: It includes 24 varieties, of which 22 are Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton approved for commercial cultivation.
- Oilseeds: 13 improved varieties, including 3 mustard, 4 safflower, 2 sesame, and 1 each of til, groundnut, gobhi sarson, and castor.
- Fodder Crops: 11 improved varieties, comprising 2 oats, 2 fodder sorghum, 1 fodder maize, and 6 fodder pearl millet.
- Pulses: 6 varieties such as 1 pigeon pea (arhar), 2 green gram (moong), and 3 black gram (urd) to enhance protein availability.
- Sugarcane: 6 high-yield and better-quality varieties
- Jute & Tobacco: One new improved variety each of jute and tobacco.
Climate Resilience: The improved crop varieties aim to boost yields than the traditional varieties and are climate resilient, with an aim to withstand drought, floods, soil salinity, and pests and diseases.
Seed Multiplication: The new varieties are expected to be available to farmers within the next three years through the seed multiplication and distribution system.
Crop Variety Development: Since 1969, India has notified 7,205 crop varieties, including 3,236 in the last 11–12 years and 1,661 in the past five years, reflecting a growing focus on climate-resilient, high-yielding, and pest-resistant varieties for diverse agro-climatic zones.
About Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoAFW):
Union Minister – Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Constituency – Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, MP)
Minister of State (MoS) – Ram Nath Thakur (Rajya Sabha – Bihar), Bhagirath Choudhary (Constituency – Ajmer, Rajasthan)
