Union Budget 2026: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting Union Budget 2026 launches key initiatives to boost agriculture, allied sectors and rural employment. Central to the announcements with a Multilingual AI-based agriculture tool designed to provide farmers with crop planning guidance, weather alerts, pest management tips and market intelligence in regional languages. This digital intervention aims to enhance decision-making, productivity and timely access to critical information across India’s diverse farming landscape.
Budget allocations for the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) have surged significantly, rising from Rs 21,933.50 crore in FY 2013-14 to Rs 1,27,290.16 crore in FY 2025-26.
Union Budget 2026: Support for High-Value Crops
The Budget proposed targeted support for high-value crops such as coconut, sandalwood and walnuts. A coconut promotion scheme will focus on increasing productivity through replacement of non-productive trees with improved varieties. Sandalwood conservation and cultivation programs aim to restore India’s traditional sandalwood ecosystem, while enhancing income opportunities for farmers and forest-dependent communities. Initiatives in cashew and cocoa sectors target self-reliance, export competitiveness and positioning Indian produce as premium global brands by 2030.Â
Union Budget 2026: Livestock & Rural Employment Boost
For the livestock sector, the government announced a credit-linked subsidy program and measures to strengthen farmer producer organisations (FPOs). These steps aim to improve access to finance, foster collective farming models and generate employment in rural areas while overall, the Union Budget 2026 lays a roadmap to integrate technology, sustainability and financial support for India’s agriculture and allied sectors.
The Budget strengthens rural employment through credit-linked subsidies, modernized dairy infrastructure and integrated fisheries development across 500 reservoirs and water bodies while the initiatives also encourage women-led fish farmer producer organizations, boosting income opportunities in peri-urban and rural areas.
Union Budget 2026: AI-Driven Agricultural Reforms
Building on prior allocations of Rs 1.27 lakh crore, the government is integrating AI tools to enhance productivity, farm incomes and decision-making for the 46.1% workforce dependent on agriculture (PLFS 2023-24) and these reforms target smallholders and align with the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Union Budget 2026: Need for Deeper Agricultural Reforms
Ravindra Agrawal, Chairman of KisanKraft Ltd, said Budget 2026 could deliver long-awaited structural reforms with agriculture contributing 18% of GDP and employing 45% of India’s workforce, he stressed redesigning input subsidies reward efficiency, linking incentives to production outcomes and delivering mechanisation subsidies via DBT using approved equipment to improve productivity, resource use and farmer incomes.
Union Budget 2026: Inclusive Growth & Farmer Empowerment
FM Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted measures to support small and marginal farmers, youth entrepreneurship and vulnerable communities through training, high-quality assistive tools and mental health initiatives. These efforts aim to enhance purchasing power, expand agri-allied employment and ensure equitable rural development.
What is Bharat Vistar?
Bharat Vistar is a multilingual, AI-driven platform designed to simplify farmers’ access to agricultural resources by integrating AgriStack portals with ICAR’s agricultural practice packages, it provides tailored advisories on crops, weather and market trends, helping farmers make informed decisions and reduce risks. Targeting 46.1% of India’s workforce in agriculture (PLFS 2023-24), the platform marks a major step in precision farming and supports the government’s Viksit Bharat vision.
