NEW DELHI: Positioning agriculture as the “first engine” of growth, the government on Saturday proposed multiple schemes, including the launch of a special programme in 100 low-productivity agri-districts, aimed at boosting farm output and enhancing farmers’ well-being and overall rural prosperity. Additionally, a six-year mission was proposed to make the country self-reliant in pulses.
Besides, it also announced increasing the subsidised Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loan limit to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 3 lakh.The KCC currently facilitates short-term loans for 7.7 crore farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers. It helps them meet their short-term financial needs for activities like farming and post farming operations, animal rearing, poultry farming, and fisheries.
The new district-based scheme, inspired by the success of the ‘aspirational districts’ programme, aims to enhance agricultural productivity, adopt crop diversification and sustainable agriculture practices, augment post-harvest storage at panchayat and block levels, improve irrigation facilities, and facilitate availability of long-term and short-term credit.
The scheme will be implemented in partnership with states in the 100 agri-districts, grappling with low productivity, moderate crop intensity and below-average credit parameters. “This programme is likely to help 1.7 crore farmers,” said finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The six-year mission for pulses will focus on boosting tur, urad and masoor output through development and commercial availability of climate-resilient seeds, enhancing protein content, increasing productivity, improving post-harvest storage and management, and assuring remunerative prices to farmers. “Under this initiative, cooperatives Nafed and NCCF will procure pulses for four years from registered farmers who enter into agreements with these agencies,” said Sitharaman.
A comprehensive programme to promote production, efficient supplies and processing of fruits, vegetables and millets will also be launched in partnership with states.
Other initiatives proposed include launch of a National Mission on High Yielding Seeds and a Mission for Cotton Productivity; setting up of a Makhana Board in Bihar; bringing out an enabling framework for sustainable harnessing of fisheries from Indian Exclusive Economic Zone and High Seas with a special focus on Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands; and setting up a fertiliser plant with annual capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes at Namrup, Assam.
The national mission on high yielding seeds aimed at strengthening the research ecosystem, development and propagation of high-yielding, pest-resistance and climate-resilient seeds, and ensuring commercial availability of more than 100 seed varieties released since July 2024.
Under budgetary allocation, the government proposed Rs 1.37 lakh crore for 2025-26, which is 2.75% less than the allocation for the current year. The allied sectors, on the other hand, got higher allocation with fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying witnessing 37% increase to Rs 7,544 crore.
Lauding the budget as “visionary”, the Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the budget aimed at making India a self-reliant and developed country.
Sitharaman in the budget also proposed launching a comprehensive multi-sectoral ‘Rural Prosperity and Resilience’ programme in partnership with states. “This will address underemployment in agriculture through skilling, investment, technology, and invigorating the rural economy. The goal is to generate ample opportunities in rural areas so that migration is an option, but not a necessity,” she said.
The programme will focus on rural women, young farmers, rural youth, marginal and small farmers, and landless families. “Global and domestic best practices will be incorporated and appropriate technical and financial assistance will be sought from multilateral development banks. In Phase-I, 100 developing agri-districts will be covered,” she announced.