Agriculture in India: Information About Indian Agriculture & Its Importance

Globally, India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, rice, wheat, groundnuts, cashew, and tea.

Advantage India

Robust
Demand

* Factors contributing to the sharp growth in demand for processed foods include increasing urbanization, increasing disposable incomes, changing spending patterns/ priorities, the emergence of nuclear families, and the growing need for convenience foods in dual-income nuclear families.

* The demand for organic products in the Indian market is growing and is anticipated to rise with a CAGR of 25.25% between 2022-27.

* A total of 521.27 LMT rice has been anticipated for procurement for the upcoming KMS 2023-24, up from 496 LMT produced during the previous KMS 2022-23.

Attractive
Opportunities

* Entry of foreign players has been key to sustainable growth in some sectors such as dairy.

* Trends indicate a sharp increase in on-the-go eating, snacking in between meals, switching to healthier eating alternatives, pre-cooked ready-to-eat meals, and increasing consumption of organic foods. This has led to a host of new opportunities in the consumer foods market for both domestic and international companies to build a stake in this fast-growing processed food market.

Policy
Support

* Online, Competitive, Transparent Bidding System with 1.74 crore farmers and 2.39 lakh traders put in place under the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) Scheme.

* A new sub-scheme of PM Matsya Sampada Yojana with a targeted investment of Rs. 6,000 crore (US$ 729 million) to be launched to further enable activities of fishermen, fish vendors, and MSEs, improve value chain efficiencies and expand the market.

* Through several Digital Initiatives, such as the National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture, the construction of Digital Public Infrastructure, digital registries, etc., the government has taken various steps to ensure access to IT across the nation.

Competitive
Advantage

* India has access to several natural resources that provides it a competitive advantage in the food processing sector. Due to its diverse agro-climatic conditions, it has a wide-ranging and large raw material base suitable for food processing industries.

* In India, agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for ~55% of the population.

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Last updated: Jun, 2024

Agriculture and Allied Industries Industry Report

Mar, 2024

Introduction

India is one of the major players in the agriculture sector worldwide and it is the primary source of livelihood for ~55% of India’s population. India has the world's largest cattle herd (buffaloes), the largest area planted for wheat, rice, and cotton, and is the largest producer of milk, pulses, and spices in the world. It is the second-largest producer of fruit, vegetables, tea, farmed fish, cotton, sugarcane, wheat, rice, cotton, and sugar. The agriculture sector in India holds the record for second-largest agricultural land in the world generating employment for about half of the country’s population. Thus, farmers become an integral part of the sector to provide us with a means of sustenance.

Consumer spending in India will return to growth in 2021 post the pandemic-led contraction, expanding by as much as 6.6%. The Indian food industry is poised for huge growth, increasing its contribution to world food trade every year due to its immense potential for value addition, particularly within the food processing industry. The Indian food processing industry accounts for 32% of the country’s total food market, one of the largest industries in India and is ranked fifth in terms of production, consumption, export and expected growth.

Foodgrain production in India touched 330.5 million metric tonnes (MT) in 2022-23 (3rd Advance Estimate). India is the world’s 2nd largest producer of food grains, fruits and vegetables and the 2nd largest exporter of sugar. A total of 521.27 LMT rice has been anticipated for procurement for the upcoming KMS 2023-24, up from 496 LMT produced during the previous KMS 2022-23.

Market Size

According to Inc42, the Indian agricultural sector is predicted to increase to US$ 24 billion by 2025. Indian food and grocery market is the world’s sixth largest, with retail contributing 70% of the sales. As per the First Advance Estimates for 2023-24 (Kharif only), total foodgrain production in the country is estimated at 148.5 million tonnes.

Rabi crop area has increased by 3.25%, from 697.98 lakh hectares in 2021-22 to 720.68 lakh hectares in 2022-23. This is a 22.71 lakh hectare, a 13.71% increase over the average sown area in 2021-22. As per the First Advance Estimates for 2023-24, rice is estimated at 1,063.13 lakh tonnes during the kharif season.

In 2022-23 (as per the second advance estimate), India's horticulture output is expected to have hit a record 351.92 million tonnes (MT), an increase of about 4.74 million tonnes (1.37%) as compared to the year 2021-22.

The Agriculture and Allied industry sector witnessed some major developments, investments, and support from the Government in the recent past. Between April 2000-December 2023, FDI in agriculture services stood at US$ 4.78 billion.

According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Indian food processing industry has cumulatively attracted a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflow of about US$ 12.35 billion between April 2000-September 2023. This accounts for 1.89% of total FDI inflows received across industries.

During 2023-24 (April-December), processed vegetables accounted for US$ 454 million, miscellaneous processed items accounted for US$ 1216 million and processed fruits & juices accounted for US$ 696 million.

Rapid population expansion in India is the main factor driving the industry. The rising income levels in rural and urban areas, which have contributed to an increase in the demand for agricultural products across the nation, provide additional support for this. In accordance with this, the market is being stimulated by the growing adoption of cutting-edge techniques including blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), geographic information systems (GIS), drones, and remote sensing technologies, as well as the release of various e-farming applications.

In terms of exports, the sector has seen good growth in the past year. India’s agricultural and processed food products exports stood at US$ 35.18 billion in 2023-24 (April-December).

The exports for principal commodities in 2023-24 (April-December) were the following:

Marine Product: US$ 5.85 billion
Basmati and non-Basmati Rice: US$ 7.32 billion
Spices: US$ 2.91 billion
Buffalo Meat: US$ 2.76 billion
Sugar: US$ 1.99 billion
Miscellaneous processed items: US$ 1.22 billion
Oil Meal: US$ 1.23 billion

Investment

Some major investments and developments in agriculture are as follows:

In December 2023, NBCC signed an MoU with the National Cooperative Development Cooperation (NCDC) and NABARD for the construction of (1,469-grain storage units) the world’s largest grain storage plan in the cooperative sector.
India to host the 27th WAIPA World Investment Conference in New Delhi from December 11-14, 2023.
In December 2023, Tata-owned Rallis India launched NAYAZINC fertilizer.
In December 2023, NITI Aayog and IFPRI signed a Statement of Intent to strengthen policy frameworks for agricultural transformation and rural development.
In November 2023, India signed deals to export 5,00,000 tons of new season basmati rice in Europe and the Middle East.
In October 2023, the President of India launched the Fourth Krishi Road map of Bihar.
In October 2023, Coal India, partnered to invest Rs. 3,095 crore (US$ 371.69 million) in fertiliser JV to boost output.

Government has set up a special fund called the Food Processing Fund (FPF) of approximately US$ 265 million in the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for extending affordable credit to designated food parks and food processing enterprises in the designated food parks.
In June 2023, Mother Dairy invested Rs. 400 crore (US$ 48.33 million) to set up a unit in Nagpur.
In 2022, the Government of India is planning to launch Kisan Drones for crop assessment, digitization of land records, and spraying of insecticides and nutrients.
In October 2022, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022 and released PM-KISAN Funds worth Rs. 16,000 crore (US$ 1.93 billion)
In August 2022, a Special Food Processing Fund of Rs. 2,000 crore (US$ 242.72 million) was set up with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to provide affordable credit for investments in setting up Mega Food Parks (MFP) as well as processing units in the MFPs.
In August 2022, Mr. Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare inaugurated four new facilities at the Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), which has been rendering excellent services for more than 60 years under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
Consumer spending in India will return to growth in 2022 post the pandemic-led contraction, expanding by as much as 7%.
The organic food segment in India is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10% during 2015-¬25 and is estimated to reach Rs. 75,000 crore (US$ 9.1 billion) by 2025 from Rs. 2,700 crore (US$ 386.32 million) in 2015.
The processed food market in India is expected to grow to Rs. 3,451,352.5 crore (US$ 470 billion) by 2025, from Rs. 1,931,288.7 crore (US$ 263 billion) in FY20 on the back of government initiatives such as planned infrastructure worth US$ 1 trillion and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojna. The food processing industry employs about 1.77 million people. The sector allows 100% FDI under the automatic route.
From 2017 to 2020, India received ~US$ 1 billion in agritech funding. With significant interest from investors, India ranks third in terms of agritech funding and the number of agritech start-ups. By 2025, Indian agritech companies are likely to witness investments worth US$ 30-35 billion.
Nestle India will invest Rs. 700 crore (US$ 85.16 million) in the construction of its ninth factory in Gujarat.
The performance of the agriculture and allied sector has been buoyant over the past several years, much of which is on account of the measures taken by the government to augment crop and livestock productivity, ensure certainty of returns to the farmers through price support, promote crop diversification, improve market infrastructure through the impetus provided for the setting up of farmer-producer organizations and promotion of investment in infrastructure facilities through the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.
As per the economic survey 2022-23, Rs. 13,681 crore (US$ 1.6 billion) were sanctioned for Post-Harvest Support and Community Farms under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.
Private investment in agriculture increases to 9.3% in 2020-21.
Institutional Credit to the Agricultural Sector continued to grow to Rs. 18.6 lakh crore (US$ 226 billion) in 2021-22.

Government Initiatives

Some of the recent major Government initiatives in the sector are as follows

In the Union Budget 2023-24:
- Rs. 1.24 lakh crore (US$ 15.9 billion) has been allocated to the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare.
- Rs. 8,514 crore (US$ 1.1 billion) has been allocated to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education.
Through several Digital Initiatives, such as the National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGP-A), the construction of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), digital registries, etc., the government has taken a number of steps to ensure access to IT across the nation.
The Soil Health Card site has been updated and connected with a Geographic Information System (GIS) system, allowing all test results to be captured and shown on a map. Samples are now being gathered using a mobile application as of April 2023 under the new system.
The Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) Scheme has been implemented in 704 districts across 28 states and 5 UTs to educate farmers. Grants-in-aid are released to the State Government under the scheme with the goal of supporting State Governments' efforts to make available the latest agricultural technologies and good agricultural practices in various thematic areas of agriculture and allied sector.
Since its inception, i.e. from 01.04.2001 to 31.12.2022, a total of 42,164 storage infrastructure projects (Godowns) with a capacity of 740.43 Lakh MT have been assisted in the country under the Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) sub-scheme of the Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM).
The Centre has granted permission to five private companies to conduct cluster farming of specified horticulture crops on approximately 50,000 hectares on a trial basis, with a total investment of Rs. 750 crore (US$ 91.75 million). The five companies chosen through a bidding process for the pilot cluster farming program are Prasad Seeds, FIL Industries, Sahyadri Farms, Meghalaya Basin Management Agency.
27,003 Loans have been sanctioned in the country under credit linked subsidy component of the PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PMFME).
In July 2022, the PM Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme was launched for providing financial, technical, and business support for setting up/ upgradation of micro food processing enterprises in the country with an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore (US$ 1.27 billion).
The Indian government is planning to launch Kisan Drones for crop assessment, digitization of land records, and spraying of insecticides and nutrients.
NABARD will assist in the creation of a blended capital fund with a focus on the agricultural start-up ecosystem which will be used to fund agriculture and rural enterprise startups that are related to the farm product value chain.
A network of 729 Krishi Vigyan Kendras has been established at the district level across the country to ensure that newer technologies such as improved variety seeds of crops, new breeds/ strains of livestock and fish, and improved production and protection technologies reach farmers.
In October 2021, the Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation launched the ‘Dairy Sahakar’ scheme in Anand, Gujarat.
Ministry of Civil Aviation launched the Krishi UDAN 2.0 scheme in October 2021. The scheme proposes assistance and incentive for the movement of agri-produce by air transport. The Krishi UDAN 2.0 will be implemented at 53 airports across the country, largely focusing on Northeast and tribal regions, and is expected to benefit farmers, freight forwarders, and airlines.
In October 2021, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ICAR-Central Citrus Research Institute (ICAR-CCRI), Nagpur, for boosting exports of citrus and its value-added products.
In October 2021, the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare announced that 820,600 seed mini-kits will be distributed free of cost in 343 identified districts across 15 major producing states under a special programme. This programme is likely to boost production and productivity by speeding up the seed replacement rate and subsequently, help in increasing farmers’ income.
In September 2021, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi launched 35 crop varieties with special traits such as climate resilience and higher nutrient content.
Prime Minister of India launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-Kisan) and transferred Rs. 2,021 crore (US$ 284.48 million) to bank accounts of more than 10 million beneficiaries on February 24, 2019. As per the Union Budget 2021-22, Rs. 65,000 crore (US$ 8.9 billion) was allocated to Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan).
The Indian government has initiated Digital Agriculture Mission for 2021-25 for agriculture projects based on new technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, remote sensing and GIS technology, drones, robots, and others.
In September 2021, the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare signed five MoUs with CISCO, Ninjacart, Jio Platforms Limited, ITC Limited, and NCDEX e-Markets Limited. This MoU will have five pilot projects, which will help farmers make decisions on the kind of crops to grow, the variety of seeds to use, and best practices to adopt to maximise yield.
With a budget of US$ 1.46 billion, the ‘Production-Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI)’ has been approved to develop global food manufacturing champions commensurate with India's natural resource endowment and to support Indian food brands in international markets.
Under Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM FME), an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore (US$ 1.27 billion) over a period of five years from FY21 to FY25 has been sanctioned.
In April 2021, the Government of India approved a PLI scheme for the food processing sector with an incentive outlay of Rs. 10,900 crore (US$ 1.48 billion) over a period of six years starting from FY22.
The Agriculture Export Policy, 2018 was approved by the Government of India in December 2018. The new policy aimed to increase India’s agricultural export to US$ 60 billion by 2022 and US$ 100 billion in the next few years with a stable trade policy regime.
The Government of India is going to provide Rs. 2,000 crore (US$ 306.29 million) for the computerisation of the Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) to ensure cooperatives are benefitted through digital technology.
The Government of India launched the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) with an investment of Rs. 50,000 crore (US$ 7.7 billion) aimed at the development of irrigation sources for providing a permanent solution to drought.
Government plans to triple the capacity of the food processing sector in India from the current 10% of agricultural produce and has also committed Rs. 6,000 crore (US$ 729 million) as investments for mega food parks in the country, as a part of the Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters (SAMPADA).
The Government of India has allowed 100% FDI in the marketing of food products and in food product E-commerce under the automatic route.
To enhance the income of farmers, the government has taken initiatives across several focus areas. Income support is provided to farmers through PM KISAN Scheme, crop insurance is assured through the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, and irrigation facilities are ensured under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.
Access to institutional credit is being provided through Kisan Credit Card and other channels.
Under the e-NAM initiative, markets across the length and breadth of the nation are now open to farmers, to enable them to get more remunerative prices for their produce. Online, Competitive, Transparent Bidding System with 1.74 crore farmers and 2.39 lakh traders put in place under the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) Scheme.
The umbrella scheme Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) ensures Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farmers for various Kharif and Rabi crops while also keeping a robust procurement mechanism in place.
As per the Economic Survey 2022-23, Rs. 13,681 crore (US$ 1.6 billion) were sanctioned for Post-Harvest Support and Community Farms under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.
In order to increase the level of food- processing industry and encouraging rural entrepreneurship across the country including rural areas, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is implementing the Central Sector Umbrella Scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI) and centrally sponsored PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme.
The PMFME Scheme provides financial, technical, and business support for setting up/upgradation of 2 Lakh micro food processing enterprises through credit-linked subsidy during five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25 with an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore (US$ 1.27 billion).
Under component schemes of PMKSY, MoFPI mostly provides financial assistance in the form of grants-in-aid to entrepreneurs for the creation of modern infrastructure and setting up of food processing/preservation industries including Cold Chains with associated infrastructure like primary processing facilities, collection centres, pre-conditioning, pre-cooling, ripening, packing, etc.
As per the Union Budget 2023-24, A new sub-scheme of PM Matsya Sampada Yojana with the targeted investment of Rs. 6,000 crore (US$ 729 million) to be launched to further enable activities of fishermen, fish vendors, and micro & small enterprises, improve value chain efficiencies, and expand the market.
Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture: agriculture will be built as an open source, open standard, and interoperable public good. this will enable inclusive, farmer-centric solutions through relevant information services for crop planning and health, improved access to farm inputs, credit, and insurance, help for crop estimation, market intelligence, and support for the growth of the agri-tech industry and start-ups.
To enhance the productivity of extra-long staple cotton, Government will adopt a cluster-based and value chain approach through Public Private Partnerships (PPP). This will mean collaboration between farmers, the state and industry for input supplies, extension services, and market linkages.
Computerisation of 63,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) with an investment of Rs. 2,516 crore (US$ 305.9 million) initiated.
Rs. 20 lakh crore (US$ 24.41 billion) agricultural credit targeted at animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries.
To make India a global hub for 'Shree Anna', the Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad will be supported as the Centre of Excellence for sharing best practices, research, and technologies at the international level.

Road Ahead

The agriculture sector in India is expected to generate better momentum in the next few years due to increased investment in agricultural infrastructure such as irrigation facilities, warehousing, and cold storage. Furthermore, the growing use of genetically modified crops will likely improve the yield for Indian farmers. India is expected to be self-sufficient in pulses in the coming few years due to the concerted effort of scientists to get early maturing varieties of pulses and the increase in minimum support price.

In the next five years, the central government will aim US$ 9 billion in investments in the fisheries sector under PM Matsya Sampada Yojana. The government is targeting to raise fish production to 220 lakh tonnes by 2024-25. Going forward, the adoption of food safety and quality assurance mechanisms such as Total Quality Management (TQM) including ISO 9000, ISO 22000, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and Good Hygienic Practices (GHP) by the food processing industry will offer several benefits.

Through the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), the Government of India is taking all necessary steps to boost investments in the food processing industry in India. Government of India has continued the umbrella PMKSY scheme with an allocation of Rs. 4,600 crore (US$ 559.4 million) till March 2026.

References: Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Department of Commerce and Industry, Union Budget 2021-22, 2022-23, Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Press Releases, Media Reports, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Crisil, Union Budget 2023-24, Economic Survey 2022-23.

*as per 3rd advance estimates, PE- Provisional Estimates

Note: Conversion rate used in November 2023, Rs. 1 = US$ 0.012