NewzVille Desk
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference at Bharat Mandapam on Wednesday.
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik; Dr Jasper Wieck, Ambassador of Germany to India and Bhutan; Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; Atish Chandra, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare; Dr Mangi Lal Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR); and Ashish Khanna, Director General of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) were also present on the occasion.
In his address, Chouhan explained that AgriVoltaics technology would enable solar panels to generate electricity above the ground while crops continued to flourish beneath them.
Explaining the concept in simple, familiar terms, he described it as a model that delivers the best of both worlds, invoking the Hindi expressions ‘aam ke aam aur guthliyon ke daam’ and ‘hing lage na fitkari, rang bhi chokha’ to illustrate the multiple benefits of using the same land for agriculture and energy generation.
He observed that while the traditional saying was ‘Rahiman paani raakhiye’ (preserve water), the needs of the modern age called for ‘Rahiman bijli raakhiye’ (preserve electricity), because modern life and agriculture would come to a standstill without power. Integrating energy production with farming, he said, was therefore one of the most important steps that could be taken in the interests of farmers.
Minister Chouhan proudly highlighted India’s transformation from a country dependent on foodgrain imports to meet its food security requirements to one whose granaries were now overflowing with wheat and rice, thanks to the hard work and dedication of its farmers. Indian agriculture continues to maintain a robust growth rate of 4.5 per cent, which is a significant achievement in itself. Exports of agricultural products have reached a new record of US$52.55 billion, while sowing for the 2026–27 rabi season has recently commenced, with particular emphasis on pulses and oilseeds.
He noted that these achievements reflected the progress made by Indian agriculture and underscored the importance of developing new approaches to sustain farmers’ prosperity while meeting the country’s evolving needs.
On the occasion, Joshi, said that the seventh edition of the conference was the largest and most historic of the international conferences held so far. Record participation had necessitated arrangements for additional halls to accommodate the attendees.
He noted that, at a time when countries across the world were facing economic challenges, India continued to be the world’s fastest-growing major economy, recording GDP growth of 7.8 per cent in the first quarter of the current financial year.
