The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) Annual Report 2025-26 outlines major developments in India’s agricultural modernisation agenda, with a strong emphasis on digital governance, institutional credit expansion, crop insurance reforms, and farmer-producer integration.
A central component of this transformation is the Digital Agriculture Mission, under which more than 8 crore Farmer IDs have been generated. The government has also expanded digital public infrastructure for agriculture through integrated crop surveys, geospatial systems, and unified agricultural databases supported under Special Central Assistance (SCA 2.0).
The report highlights continued efforts to strengthen farmer income security through the Minimum Support Price (MSP) framework, under which MSPs for mandated Kharif and Rabi crops are maintained at levels providing at least 50% returns over production costs.
Institutional agricultural finance also expanded significantly during the year. The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) system reached 7.72 crore active accounts with outstanding credit exceeding ₹10.2 lakh crore.
Crop insurance delivery under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) increasingly shifted toward digital claim settlement systems. Through modules such as DigiClaim and YES-Tech, more than ₹43,515 crore in claims were settled digitally.
The report additionally emphasizes structural reforms aimed at strengthening rural entrepreneurship, market access, and climate resilience, including the promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), expansion of e-NAM, and the launch of the ₹750 crore AgriSURE Fund for agriculture-focused startups.
Key Agricultural Benchmarks (2025-26)
Farmer IDs Generated: 8 crore+
KCC Coverage: 7.72 crore active accounts; ₹10.2 lakh crore outstanding credit
PMFBY Claims: ₹43,515 crore digitally settled
Insurance Integration: 2.9 crore Farmer IDs linked with insurance data
MSP Returns: Minimum 50% over production cost; wheat return at 109%
AgriSURE Fund: ₹750 crore startup support fund launched
e-NAM Reach: 1.79 crore farmers registered
Women-Focused Allocation: 30% scheme funds earmarked for women beneficiaries
Major Policy & Strategic Priorities
Digital Agriculture Governance: Expansion of Farmer IDs, digital crop surveys, and the Unified Portal for Agricultural Statistics (UPAg) to improve agricultural data consistency, planning, and service delivery.
Financial Inclusion: Expansion of institutional credit and digital insurance systems through KCC and PMFBY integration, with increasing use of digital settlement and verification tools.
Climate Resilience: Scaling micro-irrigation, climate-resilient seeds, integrated pest management, and sustainable soil management initiatives under programmes such as “Per Drop More Crop.”
Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs): Strengthening collective market access, aggregation, and rural entrepreneurship through the 10,000 FPO initiative.
Women in Agriculture: Enhanced mechanisation subsidies, entrepreneurship support, and targeted fund allocation for women farmers.
Market Integration: Expansion of e-NAM and promotion of state-level agricultural marketing reforms under the Model APLM framework.
What is the Digital Agriculture Mission?
The Digital Agriculture Mission is a government initiative aimed at building digital public infrastructure for Indian agriculture through farmer databases, digital crop surveys, geospatial systems, and integrated agricultural service platforms. The programme seeks to improve targeting, transparency, and efficiency in agricultural policymaking and service delivery.
Policy Relevance
Strengthens Agricultural Data Systems:
Digital databases, crop surveys, and unified agricultural platforms improve policy targeting, statistical reliability, and scheme implementation.Expands Institutional Finance:
The continued expansion of KCC coverage deepens formal credit penetration in rural India, although extending coverage to non-loanee and smallholder farmers remains a major implementation challenge.Improves Insurance Delivery:
Technology-enabled PMFBY systems accelerate claim settlement, improve transparency, and reduce processing delays through digital verification tools.Supports Climate Adaptation:
Scaling micro-irrigation, resilient seed systems, and sustainable farming practices strengthens agricultural resilience against climate variability.Encourages Rural Entrepreneurship:
FPO expansion and the AgriSURE Fund aim to diversify rural income opportunities through aggregation, value addition, and startup-led innovation.Enhances Women’s Participation:
Dedicated allocations, mechanization support, and entrepreneurship initiatives seek to improve women’s participation in agricultural production and allied sectors.Highlights Need for Post-Harvest Infrastructure:
The report reinforces the importance of strengthening cold-chain logistics, storage, processing, and market infrastructure to convert production gains into stable farm incomes.Raises Digital Governance Questions:
The expansion of digital farmer registries and integrated databases also raises important questions around interoperability, consent-based data governance, and inclusion of digitally underserved farmers.Supports Evidence-Based Policymaking:
Digital dashboards, integrated monitoring systems, and periodic evaluations are increasingly central to tracking agricultural scheme performance and enabling mid-course policy corrections.
Follow the Full Report Here: Annual Report 2025-26, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare,