The Union Budget 2026-27 places a strong focus on boosting farmer incomes, diversifying agriculture, and creating rural employment. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a series of targeted initiatives across fisheries, animal husbandry, high-value crops, and agri-technology.
Boost to farmer incomes
Fisheries: The government will undertake initiatives for the integrated development of 500 reservoirs and Amrit Sarovars. It will also strengthen the fisheries value chain in coastal areas, enabling market linkages involving start-ups and women-led groups in partnership with Fish Farmers Producer Organisations (FFPOs).
Animal husbandry: To generate quality employment in rural and peri-urban areas, the government will support entrepreneurship in the animal husbandry sector through:
- A credit-linked subsidy programme
- Scaling up and modernisation of livestock enterprises
- Creation of integrated value chains in livestock, dairy, and poultry
- Promotion of Livestock Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)
High-value agriculture push: To diversify farm output, raise productivity, and enhance incomes, the government will support high-value crops such as coconut, sandalwood, cocoa, and cashew in coastal regions. In the Northeast, agar trees will be promoted, while almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts will be supported in hilly areas.
Coconut Promotion Scheme: India, the world's largest producer of coconuts, supports the livelihoods of nearly 30 million people, including around 10 million farmers. To boost competitiveness, the finance minister announced a Coconut Promotion Scheme aimed at increasing production and productivity, including the replacement of old and unproductive trees with improved varieties in major coconut-growing states.
Cashew and cocoa production: A dedicated programme for cashew and cocoa has also been proposed to make India self-reliant in raw cashew and cocoa production and processing. The initiative aims to enhance export competitiveness and position Indian Cashew and Indian Cocoa as premium global brands by 2030.
Sandalwood: Highlighting sandalwood's cultural significance, Sitharaman said the Centre will partner with states to promote focused cultivation and post-harvest processing, restoring the glory of the Indian sandalwood ecosystem.
Cultivation of walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts: To rejuvenate old, low-yield orchards and expand high-density cultivation of walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts, the government will support a dedicated programme that also seeks to engage youth in value addition and agri-enterprises.
Bharat-VISTAAR initiative
The finance minister announced the launch of Bharat-VISTAAR (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources), a multilingual AI-based platform integrating AgriStack portals and ICAR’s agricultural practices with advanced AI systems. The tool will offer customised advisory services, improve decision-making, enhance productivity, and reduce risks for farmers.
SHE-Marts for women entrepreneurs
Building on the success of the Lakhpati Didi Programme, the government will help rural women transition from credit-led livelihoods to enterprise ownership. Self-Help Entrepreneur (SHE) Marts will be set up as community-owned retail outlets at the cluster level, supported by innovative and enhanced financing instruments.
