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Agriculture In India
India's agriculture sector closed 2025 with a projection of record foodgrain output surpassing last year's 357.73 million tonnes (MT) despite US tariffs disrupting farm exports, while landmark GST reforms delivered input cost relief, and stakeholders await passage of key seed and pesticide bills in 2026 to tackle fake inputs. The year showed both resilience and fragility -- GST rate reductions delivered noticeable cost savings, while American tariff wall compelled market diversification, officials said. "We are hopeful of achieving record foodgrain production this year 2025-26 (July-June). Kharif output remained positive and rabi sowing is progressing well," Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi told PTI. Above-normal southwest monsoons boosted kharif sowing, with the agriculture ministry's first advance estimate projected kharif foodgrain output at a record 173.33 MT for 2025-26, up from 169.4 MT in 2024-25. Rice production is predicted to exceed 124.5 MT, with maize at 28.3 MT.
US agriculture major Corteva Agriscience is accelerating its biologicals push in India, focusing on biocontrols and biostimulants as natural crop protection solutions gain traction amid mounting climate pressures and pest resistance challenges, a top company official has said. The company sees India as a critical market for biologicals, given the government support for natural farming and gene-editing technologies, Corteva president, Asia-Pacific, Brook Cunningham told PTI during her India visit. "Biocontrols are what farmers need most. No one has solved this at scale yet," Cunningham said, adding that the company is investing heavily in microbial solutions that either attack pests directly or boost plant defences. The shift toward biologicals is being accelerated by climate change, which is enabling faster pest movement and increasing stress from drought, flooding, and heat. Biostimulants, products that strengthen plants from the soil up, are emerging as crucial tools for Indian ..
Stubble burning incidents in Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Haryana have reduced this year due to government support for farm machinery and other measures, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said on Monday. The government has provided farmers with relevant equipment and necessary interventions to tackle the problem, Chaturvedi told reporters on the sidelines of an event. "Certainly...because of the policy of providing machineries and in-situ and ex-situ measures, the incidents of stubble burning in Delhi, NCR, Punjab and Haryana have reduced," he said. There have hardly been incidents of stubble burning in the last ten days, he said. Stubble burning by farmers in northern India after harvesting has been a major contributor to severe air pollution in Delhi and surrounding areas during winter months. When asked about other pollution sources, Chaturvedi said other ministries were better placed to comment. "If there are other reasons (for pollution), other ministries are best to say," he
Technology-led smart agriculture holds the key to building a Viksit Bharat, Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand said on Tuesday. "The agri-tech landscape is evolving rapidly, from genetic modification and precision farming to data science and ICT-based advisory systems," Chand said, while addressing an Assocham event here. He said farmers today must have access to capital, knowledge, and partnerships that enable them to adapt to this transformation, according to a statement. "Every technology brings both a solution and a challenge; we must ensure innovation also respects sustainability and environmental balance," Chand said, adding that India is not just a food-secure nation, but one moving towards value addition and climate-smart agriculture. The Niti Ayog member said 46 per cent of the the country's population is employed in the agricultural sector, making it the largest contributor to the Viksit Bharat mission, with significant growth observed in tier-II regions such as Assam and Mad
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched two major schemes for the agriculture sector with a combined outlay of Rs 35,440 crore, including a pulses mission aimed at reducing import dependency. The event coincided with the birth anniversary of socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan. He also inaugurated projects valued at over Rs 5,450 crore in the agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and food processing sectors, while laying the foundation stone for additional projects worth around Rs 815 crore. The 'Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses', with an outlay of Rs 11,440 crore, aims at increasing pulses production from the current 252.38 lakh tonne to 350 lakh tonne by the 2030-31 crop year and reducing the country's import dependency. The Rs 24,000-crore 'Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana' aims to transform 100 low-performing agri-districts. The scheme will focus on enhancing productivity, promoting crop diversification, improving irrigation and storage, and ensuring
Uttar Pradesh-based BL Agro, which mainly sells edible oils and processed food items, will invest Rs 3,000 crore to expand its business and achieve an aggressive target of growing its revenue 2.5 times to Rs 20,000 crore in the next five years. In an interview with PTI, CEO Navneet Ravikar said the company would make these investments to fund expansion plans across various food categories like rice and milk. BL Agro Group, which sells cooking oils under the brand 'Bail Kolhu' and processed food items under 'Nourish' and other brands, had a turnover of around Rs 8,000 crore in 2024-25 fiscal. The Bareilly-based family-owned group has plans to invest around Rs 3,000 crore in the next five years on expansion of several projects, which include setting up a rice business along with milk. It will also set up a 360-degree value chain with manufacturing to processing unit, along with a feed processing and CBG (Compressed Bio Gas) units, he said. As part of its growth strategy, the BL Agro
Chennai-based agrochemicals company Tropical Agrosystem is targeting a 22 per cent jump in revenues to Rs 2,200 crore this fiscal year, driven by a favourable monsoon and strong demand for its patented products, Chairman V K Jhaver said. The company, which competes with MNC giants like Bayer, Syngenta and UPL, expects to turn debt-free by next fiscal and is exploring private equity funding instead of going public. Tropical Agrosystem has launched three patented products including herbicide Tag Proxy and granular insecticide Tag Stem Lee, with three more slated for December launch. The company is confident of achieving Rs 100 crore in sales from its new dual-action paddy insecticide Stem Lee alone this financial year. "We have just introduced one patented product 'Stem Lee' for dual-action control of stem borer and leaf folder in paddy crops. I am confident that this product will have sales of Rs 100 crore this year. I don't think it should be a problem to achieve Rs 2,200 crore sale
Irregular rainfall and moisture evaporation have raised concerns for the maize crop cultivation in various parts of Marathwada region in Maharashtra this month, an agriculture official said on Monday. Nearly 2,56,650.38 hectares of land is estimated to come under maize (corn) cultivation this year in the Marathwada districts of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Hingoli, Dharashiv, Latur, Parbhani and Nanded. Till June 19, sowing was completed on 98,891.20 hectares, as per a report from the agriculture department. "The evaporation has raised concern for the maize crop in the region," district superintending agriculture officer Prakash Deshmukh told PTI. "A crop like maize is sensitive to moisture and water. The area under maize cultivation has gone up in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and other parts of Marathwada, replacing the cotton crop in about 50,000 hectares," he said. In some areas of the region, moisture is getting reduced. Therefore, the maize crop is getting water stres