Budget 2018: Agriculture sector to get top priority, says Arun Jaitley

CSO pegged farm and allied sector growth to slow to 2.1% in the current financial year from 4.9% in the preceding year

Ahead of the Union Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said the agriculture sector was the top priority for the government because the country’s economic growth is not “justifiable and equitable” unless the benefits are “clear and evident” in the farm sector.

Therefore, the government’s priority is to ensure the gains reach the farmers and the growth is visible even in the farm sector, he said at an event here.

According to latest data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the country’s economic growth is expected to slow to a four-year low of 6.5 per cent in FY18, the