Agriculture Economy

Ramesh Chand argued that India already looks like a "world power" in rice but added that ambition has to be filtered through desirability and consequences

Shivraj Singh Chouhan says it would give them the freedom to choose which fertilisers to buy and in what quantities

Experts at BS Manthan say India can become a global food hub, but must fix soil health, reform fertiliser subsidies and ensure farm growth is more balanced across crops and states

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan calls for a national debate on direct benefit transfer in fertilisers to curb diversion and ensure subsidies reach farmers

Despite criticism over gaps in farm support, Budget FY27 sharply raises allocations for fisheries, animal husbandry and cooperation, underlining the growing role of allied sectors

Pilot trials using Agri Stack and farmer IDs to rationalise urea use have shown promise, but issues of bringing urea under the Nutrient Based Subsidy and rationalising retail prices remain

Two-thirds of India's imports of tree nuts (such as almonds and pistachios) came from the US alone

Capped DDGS imports under the India-US trade deal offer near-term relief to distillers, but larger quotas could pressure oilseed prices, farm incomes and domestic margins

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said India has set a clear target of achieving self-reliance in the production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, asserting that imports in these sectors would no longer be necessary. Addressing a review meeting with officials at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) here, Chouhan said the focus was on identifying high-demand crops and ensuring that their domestic production is profitable for farmers. Outlining the government's approach, the minister said, "Our target is simple. We will not import fruits, flowers, and vegetables. We have to become self-reliant in these areas." The Union Minister for Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare added that India had already made significant progress, calling current production levels "historic". Referring to crops previously dependent on imports, Chouhan said, "We were importing avocados; now we have started producing them." He stressed the need to extend th

The edible oil and soybean processing industry has cautiously welcomed the India-US interim bilateral trade agreement announced on Saturday, but is awaiting crucial details on tariff cuts, quota mechanisms and quality specifications. Under the pact, while the US will reduce tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from the present 50 per cent, India will eliminate or cut down import duties on all US industrial goods and a wide range of American food and agricultural products, including soybean oil, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruits, wine and spirits. IMPORT DEPENDENCE DRIVES CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM --------------------------------------------------------- The Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) has welcomed the move, particularly given India's heavy dependence on soybean oil imports. During the 2024-25 edible oil year (November-October), the country imported a record 5.47 million tonnes of soybean oil,

The agreement comes after months of tensions between US and India that began to ease in recent weeks, and follows a big trade agreement signed by India with the European Union last month

Even as both PM Modi and Trump hailed the agreement, details on several key issues, including agriculture, India's purchase of Russian oil and the services sector, remain unclear

Despite new policy support and AI-led productivity tools, India's agriculture still faces structural challenges as its GVA share in GDP continues to fluctuate

Budget 2026-27 strengthens agriculture, MSMEs and rural infrastructure, positioning villages, Tier-II and Tier-III towns at the heart of India's Viksit Bharat vision

Budget 2026 places special emphasis on plantation crops, fisheries and animal husbandry, proposing targeted schemes to boost farmer incomes, value addition and women-led rural enterprises

On agriculture, the survey noted the advancements in Indian agriculture pointed to the challenges that impact productivity and incomes that still need to be fully addressed

Without a credible opposition or a coherent farm strategy, India's agricultural policy risks drifting into populism, fiscal stress and long-term rural distress

Linking urea sales to digital farmer IDs could curb leakages and fiscal waste-but only a phased, inclusive rollout can protect farmers and revive soil health

Ahead of the FY27 Budget, agriculture industry leaders and experts are making a strong pitch for increased investments in digital infrastructure, climate-resilient farming practices, and technology adoption to transform a sector that employs nearly half the country's workforce but contributes less than a fifth to national output. With agriculture and allied sectors supporting about 45 per cent of India's workforce while contributing only around 18 per cent to the gross value added, industry voices say Budget 2026-27 presents a critical opportunity to reposition the sector as an engine of economic growth rather than just a welfare concern. "Agriculture is increasingly being recognised not merely as a welfare sector, but as a credible engine of economic growth -- one that can drive productivity, employment, rural demand and resilience," said Amit Vatsyayan, Leader, GPS-Agriculture, Livelihood, Social and Skills at EY India. Dairy sector seeks support Heritage Foods Ltd Executive ...

Lower crop prices and weak nominal farm growth weighed on rural incomes in 2025, but GST cuts, welfare support, and rising consumption helped stabilise demand and sentiment