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Agriculture & Food Processing

India is one of the major players in the agriculture sector worldwide and it is the primary source of livelihood for ~55% of India’s population and has the world's largest cattle herd (buffaloes), the largest area planted for wheat, rice, and cotton, and is the largest producer of milk, pulses, and spices in the world. 

It is the second-largest producer of fruit, vegetables, tea, farmed fish, cotton, sugarcane, wheat, rice, cotton, and sugar. The agriculture sector in India holds the record for second-largest agricultural land in the world generating employment for about half of the country’s population. 

Thus, farmers become an integral part of the sector to provide us with a means of sustenance. The Indian food industry is poised for huge growth, increasing its contribution to world food trade every year due to its immense potential for value addition, particularly within the food processing industry and accounts for 32% of the country’s total food market, one of the largest industries in India and is ranked fifth in terms of production, consumption, export and expected growth. 

Foodgrain production in India touched 330.5 million MT in 2022-23 as India is the world’s 2nd largest producer of food grains, fruits and vegetables and the 2nd largest exporter of sugar.

  • Increasing exports have opened up new markets and supply chains for Indian farmers and businesses. This has increased competitiveness in the sector and encouraged innovation and expansion. 

  • Hybrid and genetically modified seeds, ideal climate, technologically advanced irrigation infrastructure, the Green Revolution in Eastern India to address the constraints limiting the productivity of “rice based cropping systems” and an increase in climate-smart agricultural practices.

  • Growing institutional credit, Increasing MSP, Introduction of new schemes like Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Pradhanmantri Gram, Sinchai Yojana, and Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, Inception of Agri Infrastructure Fund, promotion of agricultural mechanization and subsidy for machines and supports drones.

  • Initiatives like Kisan Rath (mobile app for farmers, FPOs, and traders), 200+ Kisan Rails, and Krishi Udaan Scheme for produce transportation, Perishable Cargo Centres, cold storage facilities at Airports and Inland Container Depots as well as cargo terminals and warehouses.

  • e-NAM, spanning 1260 APMC mandis in 22 States and 3 UTs, enables online trading of 203 agricultural commodities, benefiting farmers with better remunerative prices for their produce. It catalyses the digital transformation of mandi operations and e-trading of agricultural commodities.

  • Consumers in India are increasingly looking for organic and locally sourced produce, creating opportunities for small-scale farmers to enter the market and differentiate their products from those of larger agricultural corporation

  • Development of the Agriculture Investment Portal named “Krishi Nivesh” to boost agriculture investment. The portal is an Integrated, centralized one-stop Portal for all Agri-investors to avail benefits from various Government schemes.

  • #1 Milk production in the world contributing 24% of global milk production

  • #1 Producer of millet in the world with an area of 15.48 million hectares under cultivation.

  • #1 Producer of Sugar

  • #1 Number of organic farmers and has 59.1 Lakh ha area under organic farming.