Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

January 1, 2026 4:39 PM

Year-ender 2025: India’s Agricultural sector – Growth, governance and ground-level impact

The year 2025 marked a defining phase for India’s agricultural sector, reflecting the cumulative outcomes of sustained policy focus, public investment and institutional reforms over the past decade. Agriculture and allied activities continued to remain the backbone of the rural economy, contributing nearly 16 per cent to India’s Gross Domestic Product in FY 2024-25 and providing livelihoods to more than 46 per cent of the population. During the year, the sector demonstrated resilience amid c...

July 16, 2025 4:04 PM

Cabinet approves PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana to boost agricultural productivity

In a step to transform India’s agricultural landscape, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the “Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana” for a period of six years starting from the financial year 2025–26. The scheme, which was announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, aims to uplift 100 districts with low agricultural productivity, low cropping intensity, and limited credit access. Drawing inspiration from NITI Aayog’s Aspirational District Programm...

March 26, 2025 3:26 PM

Digital Crop Survey (DCS) System launched to ensure accurate crop data collection

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has introduced the Digital Crop Survey (DCS) System, which aims to gather real-time crop-sown details directly from the field through a mobile interface. This innovative system ensures precise, up-to-date information on crop areas for every agricultural plot, which will be crucial for accurate production estimations. As part of this initiative, the Agri Stack has been developed in line with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and other...

May 5, 2024 2:17 PM

Reports claiming high pesticide residue on Indian herbs, spices “false and malicious”: FSSAI

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has unequivocally refuted recent media reports alleging higher pesticide residues in Indian herbs and spices, labeling such claims as "false and malicious." In a press release, the food safety regulator clarified that India maintains some of the most stringent standards globally regarding Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for pesticides, with regulations tailored to the risk assessments of various food commodities. Pesticide regulation in...