The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on 28 May 2026 began the two day National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign 2026 at the NASC Complex Pusa New Delhi, chaired by Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, to finalise the cropping strategy and policy push for the upcoming kharif sowing season that begins in June. The conference was attended by state agriculture ministers, senior officials from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and representatives from all states and Union Territories. The Centre set an ambitious foodgrain production target of around 360 million tonnes for the agricultural year 2026 to 2027 against an estimated 358 million tonnes in the previous year, with focused targets for rice, coarse cereals, pulses and oilseeds. Discussions covered five thrust areas: climate resilient farming through drought tolerant short duration varieties, natural farming under the National Mission on Natural Farming, raising pulses and oilseeds output to reduce import dependence under the National Mission on Edible Oils Oilseeds, digital agriculture using the Agri Stack, Krishi DSS and Digital Crop Survey, and agricultural finance and risk management through the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and Kisan Credit Card. Special emphasis was placed on tur, urad and moong, mustard, soyabean and groundnut to advance the Aatmanirbharta in pulses and edible oils target announced in the Union Budget 2026 to 2027. The Minister also reviewed Southwest Monsoon preparedness following the early onset declared by India Meteorological Department, fertiliser availability and seed planning, and called upon states to ensure timely credit, extension and market linkages for farmers.