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Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
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PTI
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday that India’s agricultural sector is projected to achieve a growth rate of 3-3.5 per cent in the 2025-26 financial year, building on the record crop production of 2024-25.
Speaking at a press conference, Chouhan highlighted the significance of this growth, stating, “Globally, an agricultural growth rate of 1.5-2 per cent is considered good. India is consistently achieving at least 3 per cent to 3.5 per cent growth. We anticipate this momentum to continue into the next fiscal year (2025-26).” He urged the media to support the upcoming 15-day campaign aimed at connecting farmers with agricultural research.
The government’s second advance estimates forecast a 4.6 per cent growth in the agriculture and allied sector in FY25, reaching a value of ₹24.76 lakh crore, a significant increase from the 2.7 per cent growth in FY24.
Above-normal monsoon
Favourable weather conditions are also expected to contribute positively. The India Meteorological Department has predicted “above normal” rainfall (105 per cent of the long-period average of 87 cm) for the current June-September monsoon season. This crucial period accounts for approximately 75 per cent of India’s annual rainfall of 116 cm and is vital for the 48 per cent of the net cultivable area that lacks assured irrigation. The southwest monsoon is expected to arrive on the Kerala coast this week, about five days ahead of the usual June 1 onset.
Detailing the 15-day “Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan” (Developed Agriculture Resolve Campaign) starting on May 29, the Minister explained that the initiative aims to directly engage with 1.30 crore farmers across 65,000 villages in 723 agricultural districts.
“A total of 2,170 teams, comprising 3,749 agricultural scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and 2,980 Krishi Vigyan Kendra staff, will be formed to ensure each district has at least three teams. Each team will be tasked with conducting at least three meetings at different locations daily,” Chouhan said.
Bi-annual event
While the minister did not specify the campaign’s total estimated cost or the funding source, he assured that “there will not be any huge fund to be spent as both States and the Centre will cover expenses from existing allocations.”
ICAR Director General M L Jat said this campaign will be a recurring biannual event, held before both the Kharif and Rabi seasons each year. “The learnings from the current campaign will be integrated into the strategies developed for the next Rabi season,” Jat stated. Chouhan said he has encouraged scientists to dedicate one month to direct interaction with farmers and the remaining eleven months to research.
The minister also emphasised that the interaction will be a two-way dialogue, with scientists actively seeking feedback from farmers to inform revisions to the government’s prepared 6-point roadmap for improving the agriculture sector. The six key focus areas identified by the government are: higher production, lower input costs, reasonable crop prices, crop damage assistance, crop diversification, and natural farming.
Published on May 19, 2025
This article first appeared on The Hindu Business Line
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