Many big announcements have been made for farmers.
Budget 2026 Announcement: In the Budget 2026-27, the government has laid special emphasis on making farming more profitable, farming related works and new technology. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has taken several steps to increase the earnings of farmers, increase employment in villages and modernize farming.
In this budget, Rs 1,62,671 crore has been kept for the agriculture sector. This amount is 7% more than last year. It is clear from this that the government is serious about the welfare of farmers, food security and livelihood of villages. The budget of the Agriculture Ministry in 2013-14 was about Rs 21,934 crore. In 2025-26 it increased to Rs 1,51,853 crore. That means the government is spending more money on agriculture every year.
Promotion of coconut, sandalwood and cocoa cultivation
To diversify farming and increase the income of farmers, the government will promote high value crops. Cultivation of coconut, sandalwood, cocoa and cashew in coastal areas will get support. Agarwood will be promoted in north-eastern states. At the same time, attention will also be given to dry fruit crops like walnuts, almonds and pine nuts. For this, different schemes will be brought, in which the emphasis will be on re-developing old gardens, increasing high-density farming and increasing the value of crops by involving the village youth.
India produces the largest number of coconuts in the world. A new coconut incentive scheme will be brought in the budget. Its objective is to increase production in major coconut producing states by planting new trees of better quality in place of dead trees. About 3 crore people, including about 1 crore farmers, depend on coconut cultivation for their livelihood.
A separate scheme for Indian cashew and cocoa is also proposed in the budget. Its aim is to make the country self-reliant in the production and processing of its raw materials. Also, Indian cashew and cocoa are to be established as premium brands of the world by 2030.
Special help will also be given to sandalwood cultivation. For this, scientific cultivation and post-harvest processing will be promoted in collaboration with state governments, so that the traditional identity of Indian sandalwood can be strengthened again.
Promotion of fisheries and animal husbandry
In the field of fisheries, the government has planned to develop 500 reservoirs and other water sources. This will strengthen the entire process related to fish farming. In this, focus will be on improving market linkages and supporting startups, women’s groups and fish farmer organizations, especially in coastal areas.
Loan linked subsidy scheme will be started for animal husbandry. This will help in starting new businesses, the work related to animal husbandry will become modern and the business related to dairy, poultry and livestock will expand. Besides, animal husbandry farmer organizations will also be promoted for better employment in villages and surrounding areas.
AI based India expansion for farmers
To promote technology in farming, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a new initiative named Bharat Vistaar in the Budget 2026-27. This will be a multilingual AI tool, which will connect the agricultural practices of Agristack portal and ICAR with modern AI systems.
This platform will increase the productivity of farming, farmers will get advice according to their needs to reduce risks and will help in taking right decisions on the land. This is in line with the government’s goal of increasing the use of AI in farming.
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