Budget 2024: top priority to crop productivity and climate resilience
₹9,941 crore (budget estimate or BE). This is only a marginal increase from the ₹9,877 crore spent during 2023-24 (revised estimates or RE). The budget for apex research institutions which include the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), central agricultural universities and the National Academy for Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) is ₹7,103 crore for 2024-25, lower than the ₹7,248 crore spent last year.
There are other schemes beyond the remit of DARE to improve crop productivity—which function by providing farmers with better quality seeds and access to other technologies. These schemes include the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and the Krishionnati Yojana. For these schemes too, the increase in monetary allocation is paltry -- from ₹14,216 crore in 2023-24 (BE) to ₹15,000 crore in 2024-25 (BE).
For the National Mission on Natural Farming, the budget allocated ₹366 crore, lower than the BE allocation of ₹459 crore last year. In 2023-24, only ₹100 crore was spent on the scheme. Overall, the budget for agriculture and allied sectors, including on research, fisheries and animal husbandry and dairying, saw a modest 6% increase, from ₹1.31 trillion in 2023-24 (BE) to ₹1.39 trillion in 2024-25 (BE).
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