Organisation
National farmer organisation led today by President Krishan Bir Chaudhary — advocating farmer rights, agricultural income, seed sovereignty, and just agri-policy in India and on global stages.
भारतीय कृषक समाज
Official identity
Bharat Krishak Samaj was established under Dr. Panjabrao S. Deshmukh. Organisational histories cite the founding convention on 3 April 1955, following society registration in New Delhi (Registration No. S/806 of 1954–55, dated 7 February 1955). The forum was conceived as a non-partisan meeting ground to strengthen food systems and the people who produce from the land.
Also known as: Bharat Krishak Samaj · Farmers’ Forum, India · Bharatiya Kisan Samaj
Visit Bharatiya Kisan Samaj (BKS)Research note
Public and archival sources use closely related names — Bharat Krishak Samaj (Farmers’ Forum, India), Bharatiya Krishak Samaj, and Bharatiya Kisan Samaj. The 1955 founding story below follows authoritative records for Bharat Krishak Samaj established under Dr. Panjabrao S. Deshmukh. Krishan Bir Chaudhary’s current public title is President, Bharatiya Krishak Samaj.
Vision
A sovereign, prosperous farming community whose dignity, seed rights, and fair price are protected in national policy and global trade — and whose knowledge strengthens India’s food future.
Legacy
From the 1955 Farmers’ Forum tradition and the World Agriculture Fair (1959–60) to contemporary MSP, seed-law, and natural-farming advocacy, the organisation’s legacy is continuous farmer representation at the highest tables of policy.
Major milestones
Bharat Krishak Samaj was registered as a society in New Delhi (Registration No. S/806 of 1954–55), creating a formal organisational vehicle for farmer advocacy.
Source: NGO / society registration records summarised in public NGO directories
A grand convention of Indian farmers was organised. Public organisational histories cite this date — with Dr. Panjabrao S. Deshmukh as founder president — as the establishment of Bharat Krishak Samaj (Farmers’ Forum, India).
Source: bks.org.in About; Indian Streams Research Journal historical account
Deshmukh — then a leading agricultural statesman and Union Agriculture Minister — framed farmer organisation as essential to national empowerment: a non-partisan meeting ground to strengthen food systems and the people who produce from the land.
Source: bks.org.in; scholarship on Deshmukh’s agricultural organising
Bharat Krishak Samaj organised the first World Agriculture Fair (opened 11 Dec 1959). Global leaders including U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower participated in opening ceremonies alongside President Rajendra Prasad, with Deshmukh present as Farmers Forum president and Agriculture Minister.
Source: U.S. Presidential archives; historical accounts of the World Agriculture Fair
Through decades, farmer-organisation platforms in this tradition convened seminars, published farmer media, and pressed governments on production, marketing, and rural livelihood questions — functioning as a bridge between field realities and national policy.
Source: Organisation archives and public descriptions of Farmers’ Forum / BKS activity
Documented service as Executive Chairman / senior leader in farmer-organisation letterheads, Seeds Bill parliamentary testimony (2006), international WTO/FAO engagement, and seed-patent advocacy — culminating in the public role of President, Bharatiya Krishak Samaj.
Source: CV and primary documents provided for this portfolio
Leadership on MSP, natural farming and crop diversification at the Government of India high-level committee; state chapter expansion; editorial voice via Kisan Ki Awaaz; continuous television and press advocacy for farmer welfare.
Source: Official CV; BKS West Bengal; published interventions
Philosophy
Farmers feed the nation and steward soil, water, and seed. Organisation exists so the annadata’s voice reaches ministries, Parliament, markets, and international negotiating rooms — without reducing agriculture to an adjustable variable in trade or corporate strategy.
Objectives
National contribution
Convened farmer organisation as a national civic force from 1955 onward
Organised the first World Agriculture Fair in New Delhi (opened 11 Dec 1959)
Sustained policy engagement on pricing, seed law, pesticide regulation, and trade
Amplified farmer voice through media platforms including Kisan Ki Awaaz
Expanded state chapter capacity, including West Bengal (2026) under current leadership
Today
Under President Krishan Bir Chaudhary, the organisation engages MSP and natural-farming policy, seed and pesticide legislation, WTO and food-sovereignty debates, state chapter building (including West Bengal, 2026), and public communication through Kisan Ki Awaaz and national media.
Forward
Strengthen district leadership, defend legal MSP and seed rights, advance natural farming and IPM, keep Indian farmers visible in global trade talks, and expand practical knowledge platforms for the next generation of annadatas.
Kisan Bhavan
Project archives document the foundation / inauguration of Kisan Bhawan as an institutional home for farmer organisation work. The commemorative plaque and ceremony photographs below are from the project asset library — not generic portraits sourced from the internet.
Kisan Bhawan was established as the institutional building of Bharat Krishak Samaj in New Delhi — a permanent address for farmer meetings, advocacy, and organisational work. Construction was undertaken by NBCC, as recorded on the inauguration plaque.
Status: verifiedThe inauguration brought the farmer organisation’s institutional home into the national frame — with the Prime Minister of India as inaugurating authority and Krishan Bir Chaudhary’s executive chairmanship recorded on the stone itself.
Status: verifiedInaugurated on 26 December 1996. Guest of Honour: Shri Sitaram Kesri, President, Indian National Congress. Presided by: Dr. Bal Ram Jakhar, former Union Minister of Agriculture. These details are taken from the project’s archival plaque photograph.
Status: verifiedFormer Prime Minister Shri H. D. Deve Gowda inaugurated Bharat Krishak Samaj Kisan Bhawan (New Delhi) on 26 December 1996, as engraved on the commemorative plaque and shown in the project’s ceremony photographs.
Status: verifiedThe Kisan Bhawan plaque names Dr. Krishan Bir Chaudhary as Executive Chairman, Bharat Krishak Samaj. Ceremony photographs show him on the dais during the occasion alongside national leaders.
Status: verified
West Bengal
In June 2026 the West Bengal chapter was formed under his guidance, with priorities of district leadership enrolment, farmer education, technology adoption, and local-language assistance for annadatas.
Visit bharatiyakrishaksamajbengal.orgReferences
Still welcome for enrichment: Krishak Samachar / Farmers’ Forum covers, World Agriculture Fair 1959 photographs, high-resolution Deshmukh portraits, and primary Kisan Bhavan ceremony albums.
Storytelling chapters also live on the dedicated Heritage page (Farmers’ Forum to national leadership).
