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AgroPolicy, Opinions

The 2025 Union Budget takes important steps to strengthen the agricultural sector and improve the lives of farmers. Continuing Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) for 7.7 crore farmers, including those in fisheries and dairy, will ensure better financial access. Raising the loan limit under the modified interest subvention scheme will help more farmers invest in better resources and manage expenses efficiently

The launch of the Agricultural District Programme under the Prime Minister Krishi Yojana is a great initiative. Targeting 100 districts with low productivity, it will focus on crop diversification, better irrigation, improved post-harvest storage, and increased credit availability.

“A six-year mission for self-reliance in pulses, with an emphasis on tur and masoor, will ensure steady production and procurement support through NAFED and NCCF. The establishment of a Makhana Board in Bihar will create opportunities for farmers by promoting value addition. The introduction of a Cotton Productivity Mission will further support those dependent on cotton cultivation”, said Rajesh Aggarwal, Managing Director, Insecticides (India) Ltd.

The focus on credit support, sustainable farming, and better infrastructure will strengthen rural livelihoods. These measures will help build a more stable and self-sufficient agricultural economy. The emphasis on crop diversification and self-reliance in pulses through a six-year mission aligns well with the evolving needs of Indian agriculture. By integrating global best practices and strengthening procurement mechanisms, this budget paves the way for a more resilient and sustainable agricultural sector. The government’s promise to boost bio-manufacturing and bio-agri inputs manufacturing will provide strong support to this growing industry, fostering innovation and sustainable farming solutions. It is heartening to see a comprehensive approach that combines credit support, post-harvest management, and infrastructure development. As we move forward, fostering innovation and natural farming practices will be key to making Indian agriculture globally competitive while ensuring long-term sustainability.

“The Union Budget 2025 underscores a strong commitment to strengthening India’s agricultural ecosystem, ensuring both productivity and profitability for our Annadatas. The PM Dhandhanya Krishi Yojana is a welcome step that will boost yields in 100 low-productivity districts, enhance storage facilities at the grassroots level, and empower 1.7 crore farmers. Additionally, the increased loan limit under the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) will provide much-needed financial flexibility to farmers, enabling them to invest in better inputs and technology”, said Maninder Singh Nayyar, CEO and Founder, CEF Group.

The 2025 Union Budget takes important steps

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agribusiness, AgroPolicy, Opinions

The Union Budget 2025 reaffirms the government’s intention and commitment to revitalizing rural India and addressing the urban-rural divide. This Budget reflects a clear intent to create new opportunities for farmers, youth, women, and agri-entrepreneurs, ensuring inclusive growth across the agricultural sector

By focusing on infrastructure, innovation, and self-sufficiency, the Budget presents a transformational roadmap for India’s rural economy. The launch of PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana will enhance crop diversification, irrigation, storage facilities, and credit access. Additionally, targeted interventions like the six-year self-reliance mission for pulses and oilseeds will reduce import dependency, while investments in fruit and vegetable production align with evolving dietary patterns, securing better incomes for farmers. The National Mission on High-Yielding Seeds and Cotton Productivity Mission will further accelerate research and innovation, reinforcing India’s leadership in sustainable agriculture. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman deserve recognition for their visionary approach, ensuring that agriculture remains the backbone of India’s economy while creating new avenues for rural prosperity and national growth.

“I find it encouraging that the Budget will likely benefit a large segment of our youth population of 345 million, especially those in the rural areas. It is evident that by fostering agri-entrepreneurship, skill development, and technology adoption, the government is leveraging India’s demographic dividend, ensuring that the next generation plays an important role in shaping the future of agriculture. Hopefully, this can help rural youth to be more engaged in agricultural activities and balance the rural-urban divide”, said Susheel Kumar, MD & Country Head, Syngenta India Pvt Ltd.

A significant highlight is the PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana, which focuses on 100 low-productivity districts, just like the Aspirational Districts Programme. The need of the hour is crop diversification, better storage facilities at the Panchayat level, improved irrigation, and access to credit, ensuring that there is uniform agriculture growth across the country making farming a more sustainable and profitable venture. The six-year self-reliance mission for pulses and oilseeds, focusing on tur, urad, and masoor, will not only further reduce import dependency but also ensure that farmers get stable prices through structured procurement agreements with NAFED and NCCF. Focus on vegetables cluster will allow farmers the flexibility to go for different options. The agrochemical industry which plays a critical role in protecting crops from pests and diseases was looking forward to some long-standing demands in GST rationalization, enhancing of weighted deduction to 200 per cent and extending Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to agrochemicals sector that have not been announced. The Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0 which aims to decriminalize more than 100 provisions in various laws, promoting a more trust-based and people-friendly governance framework is welcome, and we hope this reform will be extended to the crop protection industry as well.

“Reflecting the Mahakumbh, the Union Budget 2025 is a well- structured set of opportunities for Indian agriculture, laying out a practical, holistic, forward-looking, and revitalizing roadmap that strengthens farmers, improves productivity, and drives self-sufficiency. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman have ensured that agriculture remains the first engine of growth, unveiling initiatives addressing not only the gaps but also tapping the opportunities to uplift rural India. I especially welcome the National Mission on High-Yielding Seeds and the Cotton Productivity Mission, which will help in strengthening research in climate-resilient and pest-resistant seeds, driving long-term innovation. We are hoping the private sector will play a vital role in this as it has scaled up its R&D capabilities and look forward to working  with government more proactively to be able to script a strengthened agriculture ecosystem. This Budget has the potential to be a game-changer, ensuring that farmers, agribusinesses, and rural communities thrive together in a rapidly evolving agricultural landscape”, said Dr KC Ravi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Syngenta India.

The Union Budget 2025 reaffirms the government’s

Opinions

The Union Budget 2025 has taken decisive steps to uplift the agricultural sector, with initiatives that could significantly impact 1.7 crore farmers

The Union Budget 2025 has taken decisive steps to uplift the agricultural sector, with initiatives that could significantly impact 1.7 crore farmers. The introduction of the agricultural district program targeting 100 underperforming districts is a commendable move, focusing on crop diversification, sustainable farming, and improved irrigation. The emphasis on strengthening post-harvest storage at the Panchayat and block levels will help reduce crop wastage and enhance price realization for farmers. Moreover, better access to credit, particularly through the expanded reach of Kisan Credit Cards (KCC), will improve financial liquidity for small and marginal farmers, driving rural entrepreneurship. The budget’s push to enhance market linkages and strengthen local markets at the district level is expected to boost farmers’ ability to sell their produce more competitively, ultimately fostering rural economic resilience.

The Union Budget 2025 has taken decisive

Opinions

The Union Budget 2025’s strong emphasis on the agriculture sector is a transformative step towards a brighter future for Indian farmers

This strategic focus on crop diversification, improved irrigation, and better credit availability is essential for the sustainable growth of our agriculture sector.

Furthermore, the comprehensive programme for fruits and vegetables, aimed at promoting production, supplies, processing, and better remunerative prices, is a forward-thinking move that will benefit both farmers and consumers, while taking the country towards a better nutritional future.

Special focus on targeting 100 districts with low productivity, is a radical initiative that will significantly enhance agricultural productivity and support 1.7 crore farmers. The emphasis on empowering rural women, young farmers, and marginal farmers underscores the government’s dedication to inclusive growth and sustainable development in agriculture. By focusing on empowering farmers through these initiatives, the government is laying the foundation for a resilient and prosperous agricultural sector.

Overall, the budget’s focus on innovation, investment, and sustainability in agriculture is a bold move that will undoubtedly lead to a thriving and self-reliant agricultural future for India

The Union Budget 2025's strong emphasis on

Acts & Schemes – Centre, AgroPolicy, Finance, Funding, Industry Reports / Analysis, Institutions, Interaction, Investments, Microfinance, Opinions, Schemes - Banks, Schemes - Govt, Schemes - NABARD

The maximum loan amount under MISS will rise from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh

According to the finance minister, the Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) will now allow loans up to Rs 5 lakh instead of Rs 3 lakh. Currently, Kisan Credit Card loans up to Rs 3 lakh at a benchmark rate of 9 per cent are available to farmers involved in agriculture and related activities under MISS. To reduce the effective rate of interest to 7 per cent, the Center offers a 2 per cent interest subvention on the benchmark rate. It drops to 4 per cent annually with an extra 3 per cent reduction for timely and proper repayment.

The Agriculture Ministry claims that in order to shield small and marginal farmers using Kisan Credit Cards from the distress sale of their produce, the interest subvention scheme also applies to post-harvest loans (for six months after harvest). Since 2006–07, when then-Finance Minister P Chidambaram introduced the Interest Subvention Scheme, the original version of MISS, the Rs 3-lakh maximum limit has not changed. A number of states, including Uttar Pradesh, had called for the scheme’s lending cap to be raised.

The finance minister announced that the government will launch the Export Support Mission with sectoral and ministerial targets. The Mission will be driven jointly by the ministries of commerce, MSMEs, and finance. The Export Support Mission will facilitate easy access to export credit, cross-border factoring support, and support to MSMEs to tackle non-tariff measures in overseas markets.

A new program targeting five lakh women entrepreneurs from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) would be introduced, according to the finance minister. Over the next five years, this will entail providing term loans up to Rs 2 crore. According to Sitharaman, the new plan will draw inspiration from the Stand-Up India initiative. Providing loans from Scheduled Commercial Banks between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore to at least one Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) borrower and one-woman borrower per bank branch for the establishment of a greenfield business in the manufacturing, services, or trading sector, as well as for agricultural-related activities, was the aim of the Stand-Up India program.

Achieving self-sufficiency, in pulses has been mentioned in the budget. In actuality, India’s imports of pulses were $3,275.25 million between April and November 2024, a 56.6% increase over $2,091.95 million during the same period in 2023

The maximum loan amount under MISS will

Acts & Schemes – Centre, Agribusiness, AgroPolicy

The board aims to improve the production, processing, value addition, and marketing of Makhana in Bihar state.

In support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign to eradicate obesity in India, Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman announced the establishment of a “Makhana Board” in Bihar calling it a special opportunity for the people of the state during his presentation of the Union Budget 2025–26 on Saturday morning.

The Makhana board aims to improve the production, processing, value addition, and marketing of Makhana, offering significant growth potential for this traditional crop and boosting Bihar’s agricultural economy.The people engaged in this activity will be organised into the Farmer Producer Organisations. The board will provide handholding and training support to Makhana farmers and will also work to ensure that they will receive all the benefits of all relevant government schemes.

The announcement is made at a time when Indians are becoming more conscious of their health issues and making smart dietary choices. The goal of the action is to revitalize Bihar’s stagnant makhana sector. Makhana’s ability to elevate India to a worldwide stage has been endorsed by a number of businesspeople, including Nikhil Kamath, the creator of Zerodha. Kamath has emphasized the potential of the industry and a Rs 6 crore business proposal.

The board aims to improve the production,

Acts & Schemes – Centre, AgroPolicy, Start ups

Given that the government is concentrating on encouraging innovation through startups, the declaration takes significance for promoting Agripreneurs in the sector

With a capital of Rs 10,000 crore, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated a new round of the Fund of Funds for Startups plan on Saturday to support the development of aspiring business owners. Given that the government is concentrating on encouraging innovation through startups, the declaration takes significance. To far, more than 1.5 lakh startups have been recognized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

On January 16, 2016, Startup India released their action plan. To address the finance needs of entrepreneurs, the Fund of Funds for entrepreneurs (FFS) plan was introduced that same year with a capital of Rs 10,000 crore. FFS is run by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), while DPIIT serves as its monitoring organization. Based on the scheme’s development and the availability of funds, a total corpus of Rs 10,000 crore was planned to be distributed over the 14th and 15th cycles of the Finance Commission.

In addition to providing funding for firms in their early, seed, and development stages, it has also acted as a catalyst for domestic capital raising, lowering reliance on foreign funding, and promoting domestic and new venture capital funds.

Given that the government is concentrating on

AgroPolicy, China, Fruits, Horticulture, Vegetables

A comprehensive programme to promote production efficient supplies, processing and remunerative prices for farmers will be launched in partnership with the states.

Nirmala Sitharaman Union Finance Minister presented Union Budget 2024-25 in the parliament today. The finance minister highlighted a comprehensive program for vegetables and fruits, acknowledging the growing awareness among the population about their nutritional needs. This shift reflects a healthier society, with rising income levels leading to an increase in the consumption of vegetables, fruits, and other nutritious foods such as ShreeAnna. A comprehensive programme to promote production efficient supplies, processing and remunerative prices for farmers will be launched in partnership with the states.

The government aims to support this trend with targeted initiatives to further promote the availability and accessibility of these essential food items, ensuring that the benefits of improved nutrition reach a wider segment of the population.

A comprehensive programme to promote production efficient

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Innovation, Inclusion & Investment are the three engines driving the roadmap for Indian Economy in coming times

The Economic Survey expects India to not only increase the competitiveness at the grassroot level but also develop much needed AI framework for reviving the industry landscape of the nation. The industry is not only looking at ground implementation of big bang legislative policies, but also reforms in tax ecosystems and EoDB.

As a part of introducing Government efforts towards acceleration of growth in Agriculture sector for 2025-26, along with securing inclusive development, invigorating investments and ensuring that farmers make India the ” Food Basket of the World” the Govt launches PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojna in partnership with states, covering 100 districts with low productivity, with an agenda of enhancing crop intensity, credit parameters, adoption of crop diversification, along with providing infrastructure for post harvest storage, irrigation facility and credit linkages thereby benefitting 1.7 crore farmers. The Government will also launch Building Rural Prosperity and Resilience Program to address under employment in agriculture as well as generation of employment opportunities to check labour migration.

Reforms are indeed the fuel of India’s development journey. As way forward towards Viksit Bharat, 100 developing agri-districts will be covered in Phase-1. National Mission on Edible Oilseeds to gain traction this year.

The nation has made concerted efforts and achieved self sufficiency in pulses resulting in increase in the consumption of pulses. To fuel this agenda, a 6 year initiative titled “Mission for Atmanirbharta in Pulses” will be launched focusing on Tur, Urad and Masoor.

To further boost agri sector, the Government shall also launch National Mission on High Yielding Seeds, Mission on Enhancing Cotton Productivity as well as fund the re-opening of 3 dormant urea plants in Eastern region. The Govt demonstrates a steadfast commitment towards setting up of Urea plant in Namrup, Assam, to further augment fertiliser supply.

Focusing on development of key agri commodities in Bihar, Finance Minister spoke on establishing Makhana Board for value addition of foxnuts produced in the state. Also, National Institute of Food Technology shall be set up in the state to provide strong fillip to food processing activites in East.

Innovation, Inclusion & Investment are the

AgroPolicy

The Agricultural district programme is expected to benefit 1.7 crore farmers.

 While presenting Union Budget 2024-25, Nirmala Sitharaman Union Finance Minister outlined specific proposals, beginning with agriculture as a key focus. Under the Prime Minister Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana, a new initiative inspired by the success of the Aspirational District Programme. The government will launch an agricultural district programme in partnership with states. This initiative is expected to benefit 1.7 crore farmers.

 Through convergence of existing schemes and specialised measures, the programme will target 100 districts with low productivity, moderate crop intensity, and below-average credit parameters. The program aims to boost agricultural productivity, adopt crop diversification, sustainable farming practices, enhance post-harvest storage at the Panchayat and block levels, improving irrigation facilities, and facilitating availability to both long-term and short-term credit.

The Agricultural district programme is expected to

AgroPolicy, India, Oilseeds, Pulses

This initiative will run over the next four years, ensuring support and guaranteed procurement for farmers.

 Nirmala Sitharaman Union Finance Minister presented Union Budget 2024-25 in the parliament today. The FM announced that the government will launch a 6-year mission aimed at achieving self-reliance in pulses, with a special focus on tur and masoor. Central agencies such as NAFED and NCCF will be prepared to procure these three pulses from farmers who register with the agencies and enter into agreements. This initiative will run over the next four years, ensuring support and guaranteed procurement for farmers.

This initiative will run over the next