Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said that despite climate challenges like El Nino and supply disruptions from the West Asia crisis, India has maintained sufficient buffer stocks of wheat and rice to meet domestic demand and even support exports.
The minister’s comments have come as the southwest monsoon has shown signs of recovery, narrowing the deficit from over 37 per cent at the end of June to around 11 per cent as of August 9.
India’s foodgrain (rice and wheat) stocks in government warehouses topped 92 million tonnes as of July 1, 2026, much more than what it is required to keep under buffer and strategic reserve norms.
“India cannot afford to remain dependent on any other country for its needs. We cannot predict when supplies may be disrupted or when a particular leader may change. A self-respecting India must be a self-reliant India, capable of meeting its own requirements,” Chouhan said while speaking at a programme to disburse ICAR scholarships through DBT mode.
He said the country’s foodgrain reserves are full because of the research and innovations of our scientists, the hard work of our farmers and the policies of the government.
Earlier, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) on Monday launched the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) to disburse scholarships and fellowships through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), with the larger aim of streamlining payments, eliminating manual interventions and eradicating procedural delays.
Launching the portal at the ICAR-IARI Pusa campus, Chouhan disbursed Rs 21.35 crore directly into the bank accounts of over 6,000 agricultural students across the country.
The digital transition resulted from a joint effort between six institutions: ICAR, Public Financial Management System (PFMS), National Scholarship Portal (NSP), Direct Benefit Transfer Mission (DBTM), National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and State Bank of India (SBI).
“Examinations, admissions, and payments must all happen on time, that is the real test of an effective system,” said Chouhan.
He added that amid global geopolitical uncertainties, India must strengthen its self-reliance (Aatmanirbhar Bharat), and mentioned three primary focus areas, including food security, nutritional security and farmers’ livelihoods.
ICAR offers multiple scholarships for undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG) and PhD students, awarded through various exams to support the agricultural education and research ecosystem. It also offers fellowships such as Junior Research Fellowship (JRF – PG level), Senior Research Fellowship (SRF – PhD level), fellowships for Research Associate (RA) and others.
The new portal replaces a traditional bureaucratic workflow with a real-time tracking mechanism, allowing students to monitor payment statuses and communicate directly with relevant authorities.
