India has the second-largest arable land resources in the world. With 20 agri-climatic regions, all the 15 major climates in the world exist in India. The country also has 46 of the 60 soil types in the world. India is the largest producer of spices, pulses, milk, tea, cashew, and jute, and the second largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits and vegetables, sugarcane, cotton, and oilseeds. Further, India is second in the global production of fruits and vegetables and is the largest producer of mango and banana.
As per the First Advance Estimates for 2023-24 (Kharif only), total foodgrain production in the country is estimated at 148.5 million tonnes. 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. As per the First Advance Estimates for 2023-24, rice is estimated at 1,063.13 lakh tonnes during the kharif season.
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.
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-September 2023, FDI in agriculture services stood at US$ 4.77 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-October), processed vegetables accounted for US$ 446.84 million, miscellaneous preparations accounted for US$ 758.94 million and processed fruits, juices and nuts accounted for US$ 367.85 million.
In 2022-23, of the 141 million hectares of gross sown area in the country, nearly 73 million hectares, or 52%, had irrigation access.
Moreover, the Indian food processing market is expected to be worth US$ 535 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of 15.2%. The food processing sector employs the most people, accounting for 20.05 lakh or 12.32% of total employment.
India’s agricultural and processed food products exports stood at US$ 27.01 billion in 2023-24 (April-October).
The exports for principal commodities in 2023-24 (April-October) were the following:
- Marine Product: US$ 4.58 billion
- Basmati and Non-Basmati Rice: US$ 5.86 billion
- Spices: US$ 2.24 billion
- Buffalo Meat: US$ 2.09 billion
- Sugar: US$ 1.49 billion
- Miscellaneous processed items: US$ 967 million
- Oil Meal: US$ 894 million
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.
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 US$ 91.75 million (Rs. 750 crore). 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 June 2023, Mother Dairy invested US$ 48.33 million (Rs. 400 crore) to set up a unit in Nagpur.
In July 2022, 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).
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).
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.
Prime Minister of India launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-Kisan) Benefits under the PM Kisan plan have been delivered to about 11.78 crore farmers as of February 22 2022, and Rs. 1.82 lakh crore (US$ 23.97 billion) have been released to qualified recipients across India in various payments.
Production of horticulture crops in India reached a record 331.05 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2020-21 (as per the 3rd advance estimate), an increase of 10.5 million metric tonnes over FY20.
As per the Union Budget 2023-24:
- 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.
- 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 micro & small enterprises, improve value chain efficiencies and expand the market.
- '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.
- Rs. 20 lakh crore (US$ 24.41 billion) agricultural credit targeted at animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries.
- Massive decentralised storage capacity to be set up to help farmers store their produce and realize remunerative prices through sale at appropriate times
- For farmers, especially small and marginal farmers, and other marginalized sections, the government is promoting a cooperative-based economic development model. A new Ministry of Cooperation was formed with a mandate to realize the vision of ‘Sahakar Se Samriddhi’. To realise this vision, the government has already initiated the computerisation of 63,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) with an investment of Rs. 2,516 crore (US$ 305.9 million).
- Green Growth: Dwelling about Green Growth, India is implementing many programmes for green fuel, green energy, green farming, green mobility, green buildings, and green equipment, and policies for efficient use of energy across various economic sectors. These green growth efforts help in reducing the carbon intensity of the economy and provide for largescale green job opportunities.
- 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.
- The Government will launch an Atmanirbhar Clean Plant Programme to boost the availability of disease-free, quality planting material for high-value horticultural crops at an outlay of Rs. 2,200 crore (US$ 267 million).
As per the Economic Survey 2022-23:
- Ensuring hassle-free credit availability at a cheaper rate to farmers has been the top priority of the Government of India. Accordingly, the Kisan Credit Card Scheme (KCC) was introduced in 1998 for farmers to empower them to purchase agricultural products and services on credit at any time. As of 30 December, 2022, banks issued Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to 3.89 crore eligible farmers with a KCC limit of Rs. 451,672 crore (US$ 54.9 billion).
- To ensure that the farmers pay a minimal interest rate to the banks, the Government of India has introduced the Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS), now renamed Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS), to provide short-term credit to farmers at subsidised interest rates.
- Under the Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM), State Governments are being assisted in training and demonstrating agricultural machinery and helping farmers procure various farm machinery and equipment besides setting up Custom Hiring Centres (CHC). As of December 2022, 21628 CHCs and 467 Hi-Tech hubs and 18,306 farm machinery banks have been established.
- Under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), 32,384 clusters totalling 6.4 lakh hectare area and 16.1 lakh farmers have been covered as of November 16, 2022. In addition, as part of the Namami Gange Programme, a 1.2 lakh hectare area has been covered under organic farming.
As per the 20th Livestock Census in 2019 conducted by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, India has the largest livestock population of around 536.76 million.
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.
