In a significant move aimed at fulfilling one of its key responsibilities, the government, through the Union Budget presented on Sunday, has outlined a comprehensive strategy to boost farmers' earnings. The budget emphasizes targeted efforts centered on productivity enhancement and entrepreneurship, leveraging advanced technologies such as a multilingual artificial intelligence tool.
Bharat-VISTAAR: A Game-Changer for Farmers
The budget proposed the launch of Bharat-VISTAAR (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources), a multilingual AI tool designed to revolutionize farm-level decision-making. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted that this initiative will integrate the AgriStack portals and the ICAR package on agricultural practices with AI systems.
This integration is expected to provide data-driven, customized digital advisory support to farmers, thereby enhancing productivity, enabling better decisions, and reducing risks associated with farming activities.
Focus on High-Value Agriculture and Regional Crops
To further augment farm income, the budget places special attention on high-value agriculture crops tailored to specific regions:
- In coastal areas, the focus will be on crops such as coconut, sandalwood, cocoa, and cashew.
- North-eastern regions will see emphasis on agar trees.
- Hilly areas will target nuts like almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts.
This regional approach aims to optimize agricultural output by aligning crop cultivation with local environmental conditions and market demands.
Boosting Fisheries and Livestock Sectors
The budget also proposes significant initiatives for the fisheries and livestock sectors, which are integral to the farm and allied industries:
- For fisheries, the government plans to undertake integrated development of 500 reservoirs and 'Amrit Sarovars' (ponds). It will strengthen the fisheries value chain in coastal areas and enable market linkages involving startups and women-led groups, alongside Fish Farmers Producer Organisations.
- In animal husbandry, a credit-linked subsidy programme will be introduced to scale up and modernize livestock enterprises. The plan includes enhancing the creation of livestock, dairy, and poultry-focused integrated value chains and encouraging the formation of Livestock Farmer Producers Organisations.
Enhancing Veterinary Infrastructure
Recognizing that livestock contributes nearly 16% of farm income, particularly benefiting poor and marginal households, Sitharaman proposed a loan-linked capital subsidy support scheme. This scheme will facilitate the establishment of veterinary and paravet colleges, veterinary hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and breeding facilities in the private sector.
The initiative is projected to increase the availability of veterinary professionals by over 20,000. Additionally, collaboration between Indian and foreign institutions will be encouraged to further strengthen this sector.
Overall, the Budget 2026-27 aims to transform agriculture through technological innovation and strategic regional focus, paving the way for sustainable income growth for farmers across India.
