Puri, May 19: Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said that the eastern regional agriculture conference involving five States - Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal - will be held today, focusing on farmers' welfare, food security, and implementation of Central and State schemes.

Speaking to media persons after offering prayers at Shree Jagannath temple, the Union Minister said he prayed for the end of the ongoing global conflict. Chauhan was accompanied by BJP’s Puri Lok Sabha member Sambit Patra.

"I prayed that may everyone stay happy, healthy and well. I also prayed for the end of the worldwide conflict that is going on. Today, we have a regional agriculture conference involving five states - Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal - focusing on ensuring food security for India's 140 crore population, enhancing farmers' income, and improving livelihood through the effective implementation of central and state government schemes. The conference will address issues like increasing the production of pulses and oilseeds, and making small farms more profitable through integrated farming," he said.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is organizing the Eastern Regional Agriculture Conference in Bhubaneswar today.

This key conference will be chaired by Union Minister Chouhan. The conference will be graced Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

Agriculture Ministers from various States, senior officials, scientists, farmer representatives, agricultural experts, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), startups, banks and other stakeholders will attend the conference.

Odisha will present its agricultural extension initiatives while West Bengal will share best practices in seed production. Similarly, Jharkhand will present experiences related to FPO-based value chains and the agricultural startup ecosystem, while Bihar will share successful experiences in maize production and marketing.