Agriculture Economy

Sub-par monsoon not a crisis; agriculture has shown resilience: Chand

Former NITI Aayog member and noted agriculture economist Ramesh Chand says India is better prepared to handle rainfall variability than in the past

Adani-Wilmar Agri Q4 FY26 result: Net profit jumps 54% to ₹293 crore

AWL Agri Business Ltd, formerly Adani Wilmar, on Tuesday posted a 53.70 per cent jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 293.06 crore for the fourth quarter of the 2025-26 fiscal on strong sales. The company's net profit stood at Rs 190.66 crore in the year-ago period, according to a regulatory filing. Its total income rose 18 per cent to Rs 21,464.78 crore during the January-March quarter of the 2025-26 fiscal from 18,229.59 crore in the year-ago period. Expenses remained higher at Rs 21,243.21 crore against Rs 18,057.28 crore a year ago. However for the full 2025-26 financial year, the company posted a 14.75 per cent drop in its consolidated net profit to Rs 1,044.89 crore from Rs 1,225.81 crore in the preceding fiscal year despite higher income. The total income rose to Rs 74,730.67 crore in 2025-26 from Rs 63,672.24 crore a year ago. AWL Agri Business Ltd Managing Director and CEO Shrikant Kanhere said: "We have delivered a strong performance in Q4 FY26, supported by improving

El Niño 2026: Why India's rural economy may weather the storm better this time

IMD flags a 31 per cent probability of "below normal" monsoon and a 35 per cent chance of rainfall below 90 per cent of LPA-risks for agriculture, heatwaves, and demand

Why monsoon-dependent India still struggles to scale micro irrigation

IMD's weak monsoon forecast revives a key question why India's push for drip and sprinkler irrigation has not translated into widespread adoption despite years of policy support

Fertiliser subsidy beats FY26 Revised Estimates, experts seek policy shift

India's fertiliser subsidy has exceeded FY26 Revised Estimates, prompting experts to call for policy reforms, including rational pricing, curbs on overuse, and bringing urea under the NBS regime

AgriTech may unlock $90 billion in Southeast Asia, India offers roadmap

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

Fertiliser stocks enough for kharif season; govt reaches out to nations

Warns against needless speculation

Nagauri Pan Methi gets PPVFRA patent under community farmers' variety

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

WTO ministerial in Cameroon may discuss agriculture, ecommerce moratorium

WTO reforms, agriculture-related matters, dispute settlement and the e-commerce moratorium are expected to be discussed by trade ministers of 166 countries during the four-day ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation in Yaounde, Cameroon, an official said. Fisheries subsidies, China-led Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) agreement, e-commerce work programme and moratorium, development and S&DT (special and differential treatment), and level playing field issues are also among the topics that may figure during the 14th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) will take place from March 26 to 29, 2026, in Yaounde, Cameroon. The ministerial conference is the highest decision-making body of the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO). It meets every two years. The Indian team will be led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, the official said. The meeting is important as global trade ..

Maharashtra's economy likely to grow 7.9% in 2025-26: Economic Survey

Maharashtra's economy is expected to grow at 7.9 per cent in 2025-26 while the per capita income is projected to reach Rs 3.47 lakh, as per the Economic Survey tabled in the state legislature on Thursday ahead of the Budget. The agriculture and allied sector is expected to grow by 3.4 per cent in the present financial year. Industry is expected to grow by 5.7 per cent and the services sector by 9 per cent during this period, the survey said, adding that the services sector continues to drive the state's economy. According to the budget estimates for 2025-26, the state's revenue receipts are expected to be Rs 5,60,964 crore, including Rs 4,77,400 crore tax revenue and Rs 33,052 crore non-tax revenue. The state has maintained its fiscal deficit within 3 per cent of GSDP, and it is estimated at 2.7 per cent in 2025-26. Maharashtra continues to remain one of the strongest and most dynamic economies in the country, driven by balanced growth in agriculture, industry and services, large .

Managing the food economy: Procurement must be aligned with requirements

With rice stocks far above buffer norms, India must shift from open-ended MSP procurement to diversified, sustainable agriculture without hurting farmer incomes

Agricultural shift from subsidies to sustainability may be the way ahead

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

Agriculture Minister renews push for DBT of fertiliser subsidy to farmers

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

Soil health, markets key to agricultural growth: Experts at BS Manthan

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

Time has come for national debate on DBT in fertilisers, says Chouhan

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

Budget 2026 shifts focus to allied sectors as farm economy diversifies

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

Bringing urea under NBS scheme faces farmer income, pricing challenges

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

Datanomics: India's agricultural trade with US remains marginal

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

DDGS import cap at 500K tonnes offers distillers temporary relief

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

India aims for self-reliance in fruits, vegetables, flowers, says Chouhan

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