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Agriculture Sector
India has nearly completed wheat sowing for the current rabi season, with crop conditions looking promising, Agriculture Commissioner PK Singh said on Thursday. Wheat was sown across 32.26 million hectares as of December 29 in the ongoing 2025-26 rabi (winter) season compared to a total coverage of 32.8 million hectares in the previous year, Singh said. "Barring some parts of Bihar, wheat sowing has been completed across the country. The total acreage may reach last year's level," Singh told PTI. More than 73 per cent of the sown area has been planted with climate-resilient and bio-fortified seed varieties that will help counter any weather aberrations, he noted. "Due to timely and early sowing, the prospects for the wheat crop look bright, and it is in excellent condition as of now. No problems have been reported from wheat-growing areas," the official said. Sowing of pulses and oilseeds has been completed, and rice planting will continue until January-end in southern India, he .
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.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday emphasised the need for "farmer producer companies" for the progress of cultivators. Addressing a workshop on farmer producer organisation, he said all problems of cultivators must be solved at commissionerate level in districts through the farmer producer company. "We need to form a organisation/ apex body of farmer producer company for the progress and development of farmers. With farmer producer company, they can utilise agriculture equipment, tractor, harvester and other things and it will make it easy to pay loans," he said. There is need to reduce cost of production and increase yields, he said. "This would make farmers prosperous," Gadkari said while underlining the need to use technology and AI to improve production. The workshop was organised by Agro Vision, of which Gadkari is chief mentor. The Union minister informed about various initiatives taken by Agro Vision to improve agriculture pattern and crop diversification.
India's agriculture sector can easily maintain a 4 per cent growth rate over the next 10 years, and the country needs to enhance its warehouse infrastructure, Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand said on Thursday. Addressing an event organised by industry body PHDCCI, Chand said agricultural products' demand will grow at 2.5 per cent. "So, I feel that we can easily assume, easily maintain this 4 per cent growth in the agriculture sector in the next 10 years," he noted. India's agriculture sector recorded a growth rate of 3.7 per cent during the first quarter of 2025-26. "But our agricultural products' demand is not rising at that rate. So, either use these products for industry or tap the export market. I feel tapping the export market is a much better option," Chand added. Warehousing requirements for rice and wheat are not different, but in the case of maize, it is different, he said. Chand noted that regulations are important in influencing investment decisions in warehousing, if th
World Bank Group President Ajay Banga has praised Uttar Pradesh's efforts to integrate technology with agriculture, describing the state's "resilient farming model" a global example for small and marginal farmers. Speaking at the AgriConnect Flagship event during the 2025 Annual Meetings of the World Bank, Banga showcased the UP model, having visited the state and seen things for himself in May, said the state's director of information, Vishal Singh. "The World Bank also posted its chief's speech on X, where he described what he witnessed in Uttar Pradesh," he said. The UP government also put out a statement stating how Banga commended the Yogi Adityanath government for developing an agricultural ecosystem that is resilient by design, stressing that climate adaptability was built into the system from the start rather than added later. "The way Uttar Pradesh is addressing climate challenges through its farmers is remarkable," Banga said in his speech that was shared by the UP ...
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
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday stressed on the need to increase the share of agriculture and allied sector in the GDP to at least 26 per cent from the present 18 per cent to make India self-reliant. Addressing an annual general meeting of Crop Care Federation of India, Gadkari, the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, emphasised on reducing the cost of production to make agriculture sector economically viable. To cut input costs, he called upon the farm equipment manufacturers to make electric as well as flex-engine tractors. Gadkari also asked the agro-chemicals industry to focus on introducing affordable bio-pesticides and bio-insecticides products by undertaking intensive research & development (R&D) works. He also told the industry to produce basic raw material in India itself and reduce import dependency to ensure the quality of the finished agro-chemicals. Talking about the agriculture sector, Gadkari said the farm sector is the backbone of our ...