Union Budget 2026: Agriculture takes centre stage with focus on jobs, women entrepreneurs and tech-led farming

Agri-tech initiatives Budget 2026
Budget 2026-27 boosts agriculture allocation by 7% (Image via Mint and Crop Care)

The Union Budget 2026-27 has placed strong emphasis on boosting farmer incomes, creating rural employment, and promoting entrepreneurship in agriculture and allied sectors. While presenting the Budget in Parliament on Sunday, 1st February, the Finance Minister announced an allocation of ₹1,62,671 crore for the agriculture sector, marking a 7% increase from the revised estimate of ₹1,51,853 crore for 2025-26. 

The Budget has announced several initiatives in sectors such as animal husbandry, fisheries, high-value crops, and agri-tech, with a special emphasis on improving the livelihood of people in rural and semi-urban areas.

Push for jobs in animal husbandry and fisheries

One of the key announcements made in the Budget is in the area of encouraging entrepreneurship in animal husbandry. Finance Minister Sitharaman said that the government will launch a credit-linked subsidy scheme to encourage Farmer-Producer Organizations (FPOs) in the livestock sector. The objective is to ensure quality employment opportunities, along with enhancing the quality of livestock, the dairy sector, and poultry.

The government will partner with aquaculture associations and animal husbandry departments to set up modern livestock farms. This will enable the creation of regular employment opportunities, particularly in the rural and peri-urban regions.

In the fisheries sector, the government will develop 500 reservoirs and Amrit Sarovars, and also enhance the coastal value chains of startups, women groups, and Fish Farmers Producer Organizations (FFPOs). 

Focus on high-value agriculture

The Finance Minister also drew attention to high-value crops such as coconut, sandalwood, walnuts, cashew, and cocoa to diversify agriculture and make it more productive. For coconut, where India is the global leader and sustains 30 million livelihoods, including 10 million farmers, she announced a Coconut Promotion Scheme. 

“I propose a coconut promotion scheme to enhance production and improve productivity through various measures, replacing non-productive trees with new saplings or varieties in major coconut-producing states,” she said.

There’s also a dedicated program for cashew and cocoa to make India self-reliant in producing and processing them. It aims to sharpen export edge and turn Indian cashew and cocoa into top global brands by 2030, with better value addition and branding. 

Sandalwood, which holds deep cultural and economic value in India, will also receive focused attention. The Centre will work with states to revive its cultivation and processing, bringing back its old glory. In hilly areas, walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts will see programs to fix old orchards, expand high-density planting, and pull in youth for agri-businesses. Northeast gets a nudge for agar trees.

Technology-driven farming and support for women

On the technology front, the Finance Minister announced the launch of ‘Bharat-VISTAAR’, a multilingual AI-based platform that will integrate AgriStack data and ICAR’s agricultural practices. The tool will offer personalised advice to farmers, improve decision-making and reduce farming risks.

To empower rural women, the government will also set up ‘SHE-Marts’, or Self-Help Entrepreneur Marts. These community-owned retail outlets will help women move from credit-based livelihoods to full-scale enterprise ownership, building on the success of the Lakhpati Didi programme.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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