“Budget 2026–27 Focuses on High-Value, Niche Segments in Agriculture,” Says Deepak Shah, Chairman, Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI)
02 February 2026, New Delhi: Commenting on the Union Budget’s agriculture provisions, Shah said an allocation of ₹1.32 lakh crore has been made for the sector. This includes the launch of the new technology initiative Bharat-Vistaar, a focus on high-value crops, natural farming, training of farmers on the judicious use of agricultural inputs, support to Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)—where women play a significant role—and the strengthening of ongoing initiatives such as the use of drones under the Namo Didi Drone Yojana.
Elaborating further, Shah said productivity enhancement and entrepreneurship through cutting-edge technologies, including multilingual AI tools, along with the proposed launch of Bharat-Vistaar, will enable farmers to make better farm-level decisions through data-driven, customised digital advisories.
He noted that the Finance Minister has emphasised high-value agricultural crops such as coconut, sandalwood, cocoa, and cashew in coastal regions; agarwood in the North-East; and nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts.
Special attention has also been given to fisheries and livestock under the farm and allied sectors. For the fisheries sector, the Budget proposes integrated development of 500 reservoirs and ponds. For the animal husbandry sector, a credit-linked subsidy programme and modernisation of dairy and poultry-focused integrated value chains have been proposed to facilitate Farmer Producer Organisations.
Shah said the higher allocation compared to last year for farmer welfare, food security, and rural livelihoods is a positive step. He added that support through partnerships with state governments to promote scientific farming and post-harvest processing is expected to help reduce crop losses.
However, he pointed out that CCFI’s proposal to curb the surge in imports of agrochemicals from China and the USA, which has caused hardship to indigenous manufacturers despite their capacity and capability to support Atmanirbhar Bharat under the Make in India initiative remains unaddressed.
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