Agriculture in Budget 2025-26: KCC Limit, Pulses, Makhana Board
Why in the news
Though middle-class tax relief grabbed headlines, Budget 2025-26 also carried farm reforms for yields, cropping diversity and credit.
Key facts
- PM Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana: modelled on the Aspirational Districts Programme; 100 districts, about 17 million poorer farmers.
- Pulses mission: six years, for tur, masoor, urad; central procurement for four years; aims to reduce reliance on wheat-paddy in Punjab and Haryana.
- Kisan Credit Card limit: ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh.
- Agriculture allocation up 22% to ₹1.71 trillion.
Other announcements
| Area | Measure |
|---|---|
| Seeds and cotton | High-yield seed mission; cotton yield and quality mission |
| Horticulture | Fruit and vegetable programme for changing consumer demand |
| Makhana | Board in Bihar |
| Fisheries | Framework for sustainability and exports |
| Rural | Rural Prosperity and Resilience Programme with states |
Concerns
- Shifting workers out of agriculture remains a big policy challenge.
- Food inflation still troubles RBI; weather risks persist.
- Only a marginal rise in research funding is seen as a missed chance.
Exam angle
- New KCC limit: ₹5 lakh.
- Board for Bihar: Makhana Board.
- Pulses: tur (pigeon pea), masoor (lentil), urad (black gram).