Budget 2026-27 Backs Plantations, Fisheries and Livestock
Why in the news
Union Budget 2026-27 tilted farm policy from core food crops to allied activities such as plantations, livestock and fisheries, aiming to raise incomes through high-value agriculture.
Key facts
- Allocation for agriculture and allied activities: +7.1% (BE FY27 over RE FY26), after a 4.4% dip in RE FY26 versus BE FY26. This is reprioritisation, not bigger crop subsidies.
- Fisheries: allocation up nearly 60%; integrated development of 500 reservoirs and Amrit Sarovars.
- Animal Husbandry: allocation up 16%; livestock is about 16% of farm income.
- Digital: Bharat-VISTAAR, a multilingual AI tool joining AgriStack portals with ICAR advisories (₹150 crore); high-value agriculture mission (₹350 crore).
Plantations and livestock measures
- Support for coconut, cocoa, cashew, sandalwood, agarwood (Northeast) and nuts in hill regions.
- Coconut scheme for southern states; the crop sustains about 30 million people.
- Cashew and cocoa to become premium global brands by 2030; sandalwood revival with states.
- Nirmala Sitharaman announced loan-linked capital subsidy for veterinary colleges, hospitals, labs and private breeding units, aiming at 20,000+ more veterinary professionals, plus livestock FPOs.
Exam angle
- Comparison base: BE FY27 versus RE FY26.
- Amounts: ₹150 crore (Bharat-VISTAAR), ₹350 crore (mission).