The first advance estimates for GDP in 2025-26 present a sobering picture for agriculture. While the overall GDP growth is projected at 7.4 per cent, agriculture growth is likely to slow down from 4.6 per cent in FY25 to 3.1 per cent in FY26. Expectations that the Union Budget will give a booster dose to the sector, which employs 45 per cent of the workforce and contributes roughly 17 per cent to the overall GDP, have been belied. The business-as-usual approach of subsidies dominating over developmental expenditures continues.

Farm and allied sectors have received Rs 1.63 lakh crore. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoAFW) received Rs 1.4 lakh crore in FY27 (budget estimate, BE), an increase of 5.4 per cent from Rs 1.33 lakh crore in FY26 (revised estimate or RE). Within the MoAFW, the Department of Agricultural Research and Education has seen a 3 per cent decrease. The allocation to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying increased by 26.7 per cent — a step in the right direction.

However, the bulk of the support........

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