Women move from boring work to decision-making in agriculture: Agri Secretary at the business line’s Agri Summit

Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

The government is doubling down on its targets for the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ initiative, with an aim to enable six crore women in villages to earn an annual income of at least ₹1 lakh within the next five years, Chaturvedi said while addressing the conference. business line Agriculture and commodities summit Friday.

“One of the first decisions the Prime Minister took when he entered the ‘Sewa Teerth’ was to increase ‘Lakhpati Didis’ from three crore to six crore. So in the next five years, we will have six crore women in villages earning more than one lakh (rupees) every year. That will again bring a lot of empowerment for women,” he said.

To support this, future policies will prioritize the mechanization of tasks typically performed by women to further reduce physical work and improve overall health, he added.

The minister traced the evolution of women in the primary sector, noting that although they have historically done the “most tedious work” in agriculture and livestock – such as transplanting rice – their role is finally being formalized and made less bleak.

Land ownership

This transformation is driven by several key pillars, a prominent one being women’s ownership of rural land.

“In agriculture, land laws were initially such that women were not given ownership of land in rural areas. Now, most states have changed their laws and most women are being given ownership of land. Research shows that today in Prime Minister Kisan (yojana), more than 25 percent of beneficiaries are women. This number will continue to rise,” he said.

This also leads to women farmers receiving more credits and other benefits.

“But ownership may not be enough because ultimately the decision makers in this entrepreneurship have to be women. They have to have more and more say. That is happening,” Chaturvedi said.

Emphasizing the role of technology integration, the Secretary highlighted the ‘Drone Didi’ programme.

More than 1,000 drones have already been distributed to SHG-trained women under the programme, with plans for further expansion, he said.

The rise of Krishi Sakhis (70,000 trained in natural farming) and Pashu Sakhis makes women the main driving forces behind sustainable agriculture and animal health.

The Secretary emphasized that the mandate for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) has been expanded to include those who do not own land but do agricultural work, giving more rural women a voice as shareholders and decision-makers.

The Secretary pointed out that it was mainly women who were driving the natural farming mission.

“To balance greater productivity and income with safe food and soil, it is women who play an important role. So it is through women that we carry out the mission of natural agriculture,” he said.

Published on February 27, 2026