Madhya Pradesh, the country's largest producer of wheat and pulses, and the land of rich black soil and endless horizons of soybean, chickpeas, and lentils, finds itself at the centre of national attention once again as the Union Budget approaches. With Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hailing from Sehore, the expectations from farmers across the state have never been higher. Every rustle in the wheat fields of Sehore seems to whisper one question: Will this budget finally bring them the relief and recognition they deserve?
The Agricultural Powerhouse
Madhya Pradesh today is not just a grain basket; it's an agricultural powerhouse. The state produces the highest volume of wheat in India and leads in chickpeas, lentils, soybeans, and oilseeds, surpassing even Punjab and Haryana in several categories. It contributes nearly 44 per cent to India's medicinal crop production, growing ashwagandha, safed musli, giloy, tulsi, and coleus in abundance. From turmeric and garlic to coriander, chilli, cumin, and fennel, Madhya Pradesh dominates spice markets, while its tomato production tops the national chart. This sheer diversity makes the state's voice crucial in any national agricultural policy.
With the Union Agriculture Minister belonging to this very soil, farmers are hopeful that the upcoming Budget, to be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, will reflect their priorities better - Minimum Support Prices (MSPs), timely insurance payouts, and a stronger safety net against unpredictable markets.
Voices from Sehore - The Pulse Of Rural India
Despite the scale and diversity, farmers say their incomes do not reflect the state's agricultural importance.
Sehore, in particular, is an emblem of this contradiction. Its deep black soil supports cultivation over nearly 3.5 lakh hectares in the Kharif season and 3.56 lakh hectares in Rabi. About 86 per cent of the area is irrigated. Soybean, chickpeas, onions and garlic dominate the fields, and its famed Sharabati wheat, golden in colour, smooth to the touch, and sweet in taste, has a global reputation. Locally, it is known simply as the "Golden Grain".
It is also the political soil from which the country's Agriculture Minister comes. That is why farmers here feel their voices should carry weight.
Outside Ulajhawan village, Roop Singh bends to collect cow dung cakes from his field. He is fifty, but the fatigue in his body is much older. He owns three acres of land and supports a family of five - Everything he has is contained within that boundary.
As he works, his eyes drift again and again to the onion crop that has rotted in the field this year without fetching any price.
"We are demanding from Shivraj ji that farmers should get their rights. We should get the right price for our crops. Wheat should be Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000 per quintal, and soybean should be above Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000. Farming has become very expensive. We had to throw away onions because we didn't get any price. We invested so much money. Insurance should be given on time we pay the premium, we should get it," he said.
A little distance away, his brother Dev Singh works in his own field. He owns the same amount of land but has a family of eight to support.
"Farming is no longer like a mother," Dev Singh said. "Now it tests us every day. When it rains, the crop is destroyed. We don't get compensation. We don't get the price. Onions rot. Urea costs Rs 400. We request Mama ji to help farmers a little. In the Bhavantar scheme, we need the money today, but we get it much later," he added.
As the day progresses, a small gathering forms along the field embankment. Farmers raise questions quietly not angrily, not dramatically, but with tired clarity. Someone asks for an increase in Kisan Credit Card limits. Someone asks for warehouses so crops can be stored instead of dumped. Someone asks why insurance reaches banks before it reaches farmers.
"These are not demands. These are conditions to keep the fields alive," one farmer says.
Among them is Premsingh, who cultivates five acres and lost his soybean crop to rain without compensation. Gendalal, a young farmer with just one and a half acres, stitches clothes to support his household. "The government should also think of small farmers," he said.
From Chanderi To Pipliya Meera
On the way to Chanderi, Jamunabai stands in her field plucking fenugreek leaves. Her fingers are stained green, her forehead wet with sweat. She begins listing her costs: seeds, fertiliser, water, labour, like a clerk reciting figures. "Fenugreek sells for five rupees a bundle. After sowing and pesticides, nothing is left. We want good prices for wheat and soybeans," she said.
In Pipliya Meera village, 36-year-old Santosh Mewada cultivates chickpeas, wheat and soybeans on eight acres across Rabi and Kharif seasons. His story mirrors many others.
"We demand MSP. DAP, urea, labour, everything has become expensive. I had 400 sacks of onions. I sold them for Rs 20,000, while the cost was Rs 1 lakh. Now that prices have risen, I don't have any onions left," he said.
Nearby, Ramesh Mewada and Banshilal Kushwaha speak about a problem that cuts across generations of middlemen.
"It's not the farmer who benefits, it's the trader. We work day and night, but prices rise only after the crop leaves us," Banshilal said.
Ramesh pulls a folded loan slip from his pocket. "Loan waiver should be given," he says quietly. "We are in debt. I threw away two trolleys of onions. There should be exports."
A Voice That Travels Between Villages
M S Mewada, a large farmer who cultivates 75 acres, is widely known across Sehore. He moves between villages, sometimes by tractor, sometimes sitting in a bullock cart, helping farmers resolve disputes and paperwork.
His appeal is direct. "Soybean should be Rs 8,000 per quintal under MSP. Sharabati wheat should fetch at least Rs 5,000. There should be subsidies on tractors, employment for farmers' children, and proper insurance in the budget. Onions should be at least Rs 20 per kg."
"We are also part of this country. Please include us," he said.
Farmer Welfare Year And State-Level Reforms
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has declared 2026 as Farmer Welfare Year, promising coordinated action across 16 departments. Plans include expanding micro-irrigation, installing solar pumps in 30 lakh farms, strengthening seed testing labs, and modernising mandis. The Bhavantar scheme will now cover mustard in addition to soybean, and river-linking projects promise irrigation for 16 lakh hectares of land.
A Shree Anna Research Centre is also being set up in Dindori to promote millets and natural farming.
The state's roadmap is ambitious, but the farmers' demand is simple- make sure these schemes reach the ground. Many fear that policies stay confined to paperwork while costs continue to rise.
Yet in Sehore's fields, farmers say what matters is not what is announced but what arrives. When the Budget is unveiled, farmers here will not simply watch it. They will weigh it against their losses, their debts, their rotting onions and unpaid insurance claims.
