Agriculture Sector

West Asia tensions expose India's fertiliser vulnerabilities, reviving calls for subsidy reform, nutrient balance and a shift towards green ammonia

Russia retained its position as the top source of India's fertiliser imports. It accounted for 6.8 million tonnes of imports, as against 4.9 million tonnes in FY25

IFAD's AVP Donal Brown said that the funding agency is now increasingly looking to fund 3-4 direct investments in the private sector over the next year

The government on Wednesday raised the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy by Rs 72 to Rs 2,441 per quintal for the 2026-27 kharif marketing season. A decision in this regard was taken in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The support price for common and A-grade varieties has been increased by Rs 72 per quintal to Rs 2,441 and Rs 2,461 per quintal, respectively, for the 2026-27 kharif marketing season (September-October). Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the MSP is 50 per cent more than the cost of production. "Estimated payout to farmers would be Rs 2.60 lakh crore and annual procurement estimated at 824.41 lakh tonne," he added.

Rajasthan assures adequate fertiliser stocks for Kharif, but West Asia tensions and import risks keep concerns over future supply disruptions alive

India's fertiliser output contracts in FY26, hit by LNG shortages and shutdowns, marking the sector's weakest performance in over a decade

Rising input costs, supply risks and subsidy pressures amid West Asia tensions could squeeze margins and impact fertiliser output and agricultural demand

A new report highlights Southeast Asia's vast AgriTech potential, projecting over $90 billion in GDP gains by 2033, with India's governance and venture model seen as a key template

Centre will organise regional agriculture conferences in April-May to improve policy execution, strengthen Centre-State coordination, and address implementation bottlenecks

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Monday approved a proposal to increase the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat by Rs 160 per quintal for the current procurement season, along with an additional payment of Rs 20 per quintal to farmers towards cleaning, sorting and handling costs. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. State Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi told reporters after the meeting that the MSP for wheat has been fixed at Rs 2,585 per quintal by the central government for this year, reflecting an increase of Rs 160 per quintal over the previous year. He said wheat procurement in the state will begin after Ram Navami, from March 30, 2026, and continue till June 15, 2026. Procurement will be carried out through eight agencies across 6,500 purchase centres in all 75 districts. These agencies include the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the state Food and Civil Supplies Department, Uttar Pradesh Mandi Parishad, UP PCF, PCU, UP

As the Strait of Hormuz disruption deepens, India faces rising inflation, supply shocks, and fiscal strain, with markets yet to fully price in the risks

The patent registration was published in the Plant Variety Journal, February 2026 issue, conferring statutory ownership, legal rights upon the farming community of Nagaur district, Rajasthan

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

At the India AI Impact Summit, Fadnavis said agriculture is not just an economic activity but a pillar of livelihood, social stability, and national security for countries of the Global South

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday stressed the need to make tree plantation a mass movement for protecting the environment and addressing the challenge of climate change. He was speaking at an event to mark the completion of five years of his pledge to plant at least one sapling everyday. Chouhan, who is also the minister of rural development, started this green initiative on February 19, 2021, on the occasion of Narmada Jayanti, when he planted saplings of 'Rudraksha' and 'Sal' at Amarkantak. The minister has planted more than 6,000 saplings in the last five years. Addressing the event, Chouhan announced that all the programmes organised by his two ministries would start with plantation of saplings. He also directed the officials of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to do the same. Plants should be given to honour the dignitaries in such programmes. After the successful completion of five years of his pledge, the minister emphasised the nee

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

MeitY Secretary S Krishnan, who himself is a registered farmer, on Tuesday called for using artificial intelligence to bridge the information gap in agriculture, saying the old extension network has broken down and the focus has shifted to channelling inputs rather than providing the advisory support farmers actually need. Krishnan, who revealed that he has an agricultural loan in his personal account and that his mother supervises the cultivation on his farm, said timely and reliable advice remains the single most important thing farmers seek -- and the one thing the system has consistently failed to deliver. "As farmers, they always look for advice, which is timely. And many people say that the old extension network has broken down. ...Across many agriculture departments and state governments, the far greater focus is how inputs get channelised. There is less attention to the kind of advice that farmers really want," the secretary in Ministry of Electronics and Information ...

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,

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