Govt plans to augment farm productivity in 100 districts

Govt to roll out PM Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana, which will target regions with low farm productivity and crop intensity

- Zia Haq

NEW DELHI: India will launch a new programme across 100 districts to boost farm productivity along with measures to expand irrigation and credit limit to farmers, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Saturday, unveiling the Modi government's annual budget for 2025-26.

The farm sector, which employs nearly half the population, accounts for about 16% of the country's gross domestic product or GDP and has proved resilient to shocks, such as the pandemic. The sector has clocked a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4% since 2019-20, according to the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament on Friday.

Highlighting agriculture as an engine of growth, the finance minister said the government would roll out a PM Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana, which will target regions with low farm productivity and crop intensity, aiming to reach an estimated 10.7 million farmers.

The rural push in collaboration with states will focus on creating sustainable livelihood opportunities so that migration to cities remains an "option rather than a necessity", Sitharaman said in her budget speech.