# Ministry of Agriculture (Maharashtra)

The Ministry of Agriculture, a ministry of the Government of Maharashtra, is the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws related to agriculture in the state of Maharashtra.Adv Manikrao Shivajirao Kokate is the current minister heading this ministry.

## List

| # | Minister | Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Chief Minister | Party |
| 1 | P. K. Sawant | Chiplun | 1 May 1960 | 7 March 1962 | 1 year, 310 days | Yashwantrao Chavan | Indian National Congress |
| 2 | Balasaheb Desai | Patan | 8 March 1962 | 20 November 1962 | 1 year, 261 days | Yashwantrao Chavan | Indian National Congress |
| 2 | Balasaheb Desai | Patan | 20 November 1962 | 24 November 1963 | 1 year, 261 days | Marotrao Kannamwar | Indian National Congress |
| (1) | P. K. Sawant | Chiplun | 25 November 1963 | 5 December 1963 | 3 years, 96 days | himself | Indian National Congress |
| (1) | P. K. Sawant | Chiplun | 5 December 1963 | 1 March 1967 | 3 years, 96 days | Vasantrao Naik | Indian National Congress |
| 3 | Gopalrao Khedkar | Akot | 1 March 1967 | 27 October 1969 | 2 years, 240 days | Vasantrao Naik | Indian National Congress |
| 4 | Keshavrao Sonawane | Latur City | 27 October 1969 | 13 March 1972 | 2 years, 138 days | Vasantrao Naik | Indian National Congress |
| 5 | Vasantdada Patil | MLC | 13 March 1972 | 4 April 1973 | 1 year, 22 days | Vasantrao Naik | Indian National Congress |
| 6 | Hari Govindrao Vartak | Vasai | 4 April 1973 | 17 March 1974 | 347 days | Vasantrao Naik | Indian National Congress |
| 7 | Anant Namjoshi | Girgaon | 17 March 1974 | 21 February 1975 | 341 days | Vasantrao Naik | Indian National Congress |
| 8 | Sharad Pawar | Baramati | 21 February 1975 | 16 April 1977 | 2 years, 54 days | Shankarrao Chavan | Indian National Congress |
| (6) | Hari Govindrao Vartak | Vasai | 16 April 1977 | 17 May 1977 | 2 years, 54 days | Shankarrao Chavan | Indian National Congress |
| 9 | Purushottam Dakate | Umred | 17 May 1977 | 18 July 1978 | 1 year, 62 days | Vasantdada Patil | Indian National Congress |
| 10 | Arjunrao Kasture | | 18 July 1978 | 17 February 1980 | 1 year, 214 days | Sharad Pawar | Indian Congress (Socialist) |
| 11 | Bhagwantrao M. Gaikwad | Kalameshwar | 9 June 1980 | 21 January 1982 | 2 years, 238 days | A. R. Antulay | Indian National Congress |
| 11 | Bhagwantrao M. Gaikwad | Kalameshwar | 21 January 1982 | 2 February 1983 | 2 years, 238 days | Babasaheb Bhosale | Indian National Congress |
| 12 | Nanabhau Yambadwar | MLC | 2 February 1983 | 5 March 1985 | 2 years, 31 days | Vasantdada Patil | Indian National Congress |
| 13 | Narendra Tidke | Savner | 12 March 1985 | 3 June 1985 | 83 days | Vasantdada Patil | Indian National Congress |
| 14 | Vijaysinh Mohite–Patil | Malshiras | 3 June 1985 | 12 March 1986 | 282 days | Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar | Indian National Congress |
| (11) | Bhagwantrao M. Gaikwad | Kalameshwar | 12 March 1986 | 26 June 1988 | 2 years, 106 days | Shankarrao Chavan | Indian National Congress |
| 15 | Vilasrao Deshmukh | Latur City | 26 June 1988 | 4 March 1990 | 1 year, 251 days | Sharad Pawar | Indian National Congress |
| 16 | Shivajirao Deshmukh | MLC | 4 March 1990 | 25 June 1991 | 1 year, 113 days | Sharad Pawar | Indian National Congress |
| 17 | Rohidas Patil | Dhule Rural | 25 June 1991 | 6 March 1993 | 1 year, 254 days | Sudhakarrao Naik | Indian National Congress |
| 18 | Harshvardhan Deshmukh | Morshi | 6 March 1993 | 14 March 1995 | 2 years, 8 days | Sharad Pawar | Independent |
| 19 | Shashikant Sutar | Shivajinagar | 14 March 1995 | 1 February 1999 | 3 years, 324 days | Manohar Joshi | Shiv Sena |
| 20 | Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil | Shirdi | 1 February 1999 | 18 October 1999 | 259 days | Narayan Rane | Shiv Sena |
| 21 | Ranjeet Deshmukh | MLC | 18 October 1999 | 18 January 2003 | 3 years, 92 days | Vilasrao Deshmukh | Indian National Congress |
| 22 | Sushilkumar Shinde | Solapur South | 18 January 2003 | 1 November 2004 | 1 year, 288 days | himself | Indian National Congress |
| 23 | Vilasrao Deshmukh | Latur City | 1 November 2004 | 9 November 2004 | 8 days | himself | Indian National Congress |
| 24 | Balasaheb Thorat | Sangamner | 9 November 2004 | 8 December 2008 | 6 years, 2 days | Vilasrao Deshmukh | Indian National Congress |
| 24 | Balasaheb Thorat | Sangamner | 8 December 2008 | 11 November 2010 | 6 years, 2 days | Ashok Chavan | Indian National Congress |
| (20) | Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil | Shirdi | 11 November 2010 | 28 September 2014 | 3 years, 321 days | Prithviraj Chavan | Indian National Congress |
| 25 | Eknath Khadse | Muktainagar | 31 October 2014 | 4 June 2016 | 1 year, 217 days | Devendra Fadnavis | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 26 | Chandrakant Patil | MLC | 4 June 2016 | 8 July 2016 | 34 days | Devendra Fadnavis | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 27 | Pandurang Fundkar | MLC | 8 July 2016 | 31 May 2018 | 1 year, 327 days | Devendra Fadnavis | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| (26) | Chandrakant Patil | MLC | 1 June 2018 | 16 June 2019 | 1 year, 15 days | Devendra Fadnavis | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 28 | Anil Bonde | Morshi | 16 June 2019 | 12 November 2019 | 149 days | Devendra Fadnavis | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| 29 | Subhash Desai | MLC | 28 November 2019 | 30 December 2019 | 32 days | Uddhav Thackeray | Shiv Sena |
| 30 | Dadaji Bhuse | Malegaon Outer | 30 December 2019 | 27 June 2022 | 2 years, 179 days | Uddhav Thackeray | Shiv Sena |
| 31 | Shankarrao Gadakh | Nevasa | 27 June 2022 | 30 June 2022 | 3 days | Uddhav Thackeray | Shiv Sena |
| 32 | Eknath Shinde | Kopri-Pachpakhadi | 30 June 2022 | 9 August 2022 | 40 days | himself | Shiv Sena |
| 33 | Abdul Sattar | Sillod | 9 August 2022 | 2 July 2023 | 327 days | Eknath Shinde | Shiv Sena |
| 34 | Dhananjay Munde | Parli | 2 July 2023 | 5 December 2024 | 1 year, 156 days | Eknath Shinde | Nationalist Congress Party |

## History

Department of agriculture was established in 1883 after recommendation of Famine Commission(1881). Varies hybrid varieties of crops were deployed in 1965-66 which laid down the foundation of Green Revolution.

## Structure

Agriculture section has three different ministers and divisions.
* Dadaji Bhuse, Minister of Agriculture
* Sandipanrao Bhumre, Minister of Horticulture
* Shankarrao Gadakh, Minister of Soil and Water Conservation

## International Partnerships

Ministry signed an MoU with United States Department of Agriculture in June 2021 for better collaboration between United States of America and Government of Maharashtra.