The New Era of Indian Agriculture and Allied Sectors Growth, Resilience, and Food Security (UPSC/RAS/PSI) Current Affairs {Economy}

Nodal Ministries - Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Cooperation

Macroeconomic Snapshot & Production Milestones

Workforce Livelihood Anchor - Agriculture and allied activities remain the structural backbone of India's economy, employing approximately 46.1% of the total workforce.
Gross Value Added (GVA) Expansion - The GVA of the Agriculture and Allied Sector expanded from ₹20.94 lakh crore in 2014–15 to an estimated ₹52.08 lakh crore in 2025–26.
Record Budget Outlay - Central budget allocation for the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare surged from ₹27,663 crore in 2013–14 to ₹1,40,528.78 crore in 2026–27.
Foodgrain & Horticulture Output -

a.) Foodgrains - Increased from 265.05 MMT (2013–14) to a record 376.56 MMT in 2025–26 (3rd Advance Estimates).
b.) Horticulture - Rose from 280.70 MMT (2013–14) to 377.78 MMT in 2025–26 (2nd Advance Estimates).
c.) Oilseeds - Grew from 27.51 MMT (2014–15) to 43.06 MMT in 2025–26.
Export Expansion - Agricultural exports surged by ~70.5%, expanding from USD 32.08 billion in 2014–15 to USD 54.70 billion in 2025–26. Processed food exports increased their share in total agricultural exports from 13.7% to 20.4%.

PM-KISAN Income Support - Transferred over ₹4.47 lakh crore directly into farmers' bank accounts across 23 installments via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). The 23rd installment alone released over ₹18,984 crore to 9.49 crore farmers.
PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) Crop Insurance - Covered over 92.46 crore farmer applications since 2016–17, disbursing claims worth ₹1.96 lakh crore to ~24.31 crore beneficiary farmers (as of December 2025).
Minimum Support Price (MSP) Realization -

a.) Cumulative MSP procurement expanded from 698.7 MMT (2004–2014) to 1,229.2 MMT (2014–2026).
b.) Total value paid under MSP increased from ₹7.41 lakh crore (2004–14) to ₹26.32 lakh crore (2014–2026).
c.) Paddy (Grade A) MSP increased to ₹2,461/quintal, and Wheat MSP reached ₹2,585/quintal for 2026–27.
Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Expansion - 7.28 crore operational KCC accounts in 2025–26, with an outstanding credit volume of ₹10.08 lakh crore.
Social Security via PM-KMY - Enrolled ~24.96 lakh small and marginal farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana pension scheme.

Soil Health Card (SHC) & Krishi Sakhis - 26.09 crore Soil Health Cards issued by July 2026, supported by 70,002 trained Krishi Sakhis providing localized advisories.
Ecological Farming Expansion -

a.) PKVY - Covered 18.93 lakh hectares benefiting 33.63 lakh farmers.
b.) MOVCDNER - Brought 2.36 lakh hectares under organic management in the North East.
c.) NMNF - Formed 18,893 clusters covering 10.32 lakh hectares under natural farming in FY 2025–26, certifying 14.43 lakh farmers.
PM-KUSUM Solarization - Installed 11.49 lakh off-grid solar pumps, solarized 15.89 lakh agricultural pump feeders, and commissioned 1,726 MW of farm-level solar capacity.
Digital Agriculture Mission (AgriStack) -

a.) Created over 10.31 crore unique Farmer IDs.
b.) Conducted Digital Crop Surveys (DCS) across 648 districts covering 31.3 crore plots in Rabi 2025–26.
c.) Deployed AI tools - National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS) (monitoring 73 crops across 436 pests) and BharatVistaar (handled 72+ lakh farmer queries).

e-NAM Integration - Integrated 1,656 APMC mandis digitally, onboarding 1.89 crore farmers and 2.78 lakh traders.
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) - Extended interest subvention to 18,893 warehouses, 3,110 cold chain projects, and 2,105 processing units.
Cooperative Infrastructure Strengthening -

a.) Registered 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).
b.) Sanctioned computerization for 79,630 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), onboarding 63,707 PACS onto national Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software.
Food Processing Multipliers (PLISFPI & PMKSY) -

a.) Budget allocation for MoFPI expanded to ₹4,064 crore in 2026–27.
b.) Disbursed ₹3,271.44 crore under PLI for Food Processing, creating 34 LMT/annum of processing capacity.
c.) PMKSY operationalized 1,256 projects, creating 294.21 LMT/annum post-harvest capacity.
NFSA & SARTHAK PDS - Supporting ~80 crore beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act. Allocated ₹25,530 crore over 5 years for SARTHAK PDS to automate ration transport and handling.

Livestock Sector Growth - Sustained a CAGR of 12.77% since 2014–15, receiving ₹6,153.46 crore in Budget 2026–27.
Milk Production Global Leadership (Rank 1) - India produces 248 MMT of milk (2024–25), accounting for ~25% of global output. Per capita availability reached 485 g/day (vs. global average of 394 g/day).
Poultry & Meat Growth -

a.) Egg Production (Rank 2) - Reached 149.11 billion eggs (per capita availability - 106 eggs/year).
b.) Meat Production (Rank 4) - Reached 10.50 MMT.
Fisheries Sector Boom (Rank 2 Global Output) -

a.) Fish production reached 197.75 lakh tonnes in 2024–25. Seafood exports expanded from USD 3.64 billion (2013–14) to USD 8.46 billion in 2025–26.
b.) Sanctioned 4.82 lakh KCC applications for fishers and provided insurance to 33 lakh beneficiaries.
Animal Health & Tech Infrastructure -

a.) Deployed 38.53 crore "Pashu Aadhaar" digital tags on the Bharat Pashudhan portal.
b.) Administered 132.49 crore FMD vaccine doses under NADCP and operationalized 4,019 Mobile Veterinary Units (MVUs) via helpline 1962.

Climate Vulnerability & Water Stress - Frequency of extreme weather events threatens rainfed agriculture, while over-reliance on groundwater for water-intensive crops (paddy/sugarcane) depletes aquifers.
Small & Fragmented Landholdings - Over 86% of Indian farmers are small and marginal (<2 hectares), hindering economies of scale, mechanization, and direct commercial credit access.
Storage & Post-Harvest Losses - Despite AIF and PMKSY expansion, cold-chain gaps persist in perishable horticulture and fisheries, leading to seasonal price volatility.
Distorted Input Subsidies - Heavily subsidized urea distorts soil NPK balance, while free agricultural power leads to groundwater over-exploitation.
Market Realization Gaps - Inter-state trade hurdles and incomplete APMC reforms limit full price discovery for farmers outside major procurement states.

Source: PIB