Agriculture Budget 2026: Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, MISS, 9 other schemes get Rs 250,055 crore this year—New sectors in spotlight

Urea Subsidy: For the financial year 2026–27, a net budgetary allocation of about Rs 1.71 lakh crore has been provided to the Department of Fertilisers. It is a Central Sector Scheme which reflects the government’s focus on protecting farmers from global fertiliser price changes and supply disruptions. Under the urea subsidy, funds have been provided for both domestic production and imports to meet demand while keeping fertiliser prices affordable for farmers. The subsidy system also ensures fair returns for producers and an uninterrupted supply across the country.

For 2026–27, the budget estimate stands at Rs 1,16,805 crore. This is lower than the previous year’s revised estimate of Rs 1,26,475 crore, showing a reduction of about 7.7 per cent compared to last year.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM- Kisan): Millions of farmers across India receive Rs 6,000 every year under the PM-Kisan scheme. This support is given as direct financial assistance in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000, which are sent straight to farmers’ bank accounts. For this year, the 22nd instalment of PM-Kisan is expected to be released in February 2026. In the Union Budget 2026–27, the government has also allocated Rs 63,500 crore for the PM-Kisan scheme, showing its continued commitment to supporting farmers’ income and welfare.

Bharat-VISTAAR: It is also a Central Sector Scheme, and this year, the government has taken a step forward by introducing Bharat-VISTAAR (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources), a multilingual AI-based tool proposed in the Union Budget 2026–27. The platform will bring together AgriStack portals and ICAR’s agricultural practice packages with advanced AI systems.

Bharat-VISTAAR aims to improve farm productivity, support better decision-making by farmers, and reduce risks by providing customised, timely advisory services in multiple languages, making modern agricultural guidance more accessible to farmers across India. This year, the government has allocated Rs 150 crore to support and implement this scheme. 

Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS): It is a Central Sector Scheme aimed at ensuring the availability of short-term credit to farmers at an affordable interest rate through the Kisan Credit Card (KCC). Under this Scheme, the farmers received short-term loans of up to Rs.3 lakh through Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) at a subsidised interest rate of 7 per cent, with 1.5 per cent interest subvention provided to eligible lending institutions. Additionally, farmers repaying loans promptly are eligible for an incentive of up to 3 per cent as the Prompt Repayment Incentive (PRI) effectively reduces their interest rate on KCC loans to 4 per cent. For loans taken exclusively for animal husbandry or fisheries, the interest benefit is applicable up to Rs.2 lakh.

Crop Insurance Scheme: For the current financial year, the government has allocated Rs 12,200 crore to this scheme, compared to the revised estimate of Rs 12,267 crore in the previous year. This reflects a marginal decline of about 0.34 per cent in the allocation.

This scheme is also known as  Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) that aims to support sustainable agricultural production by providing financial help to farmers affected by crop loss due to unforeseen events. The scheme helps stabilise farmers’ income so they can continue farming, encourages the use of modern agricultural practices, and ensures the flow of credit to the agriculture sector. Together, these efforts strengthen food security, promote crop diversification, and protect farmers from production-related risks.

Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Yojana (PM-AASHA): This scheme comes under the Central Sector Scheme. For this year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has allocated Rs 7,200 crore, which is an increase of about 3.7 per cent compared to last year.

The scheme is a comprehensive initiative of the Government of India to ensure that farmers receive a fair Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce, especially pulses, oilseeds, and coconut. It supports farmers during periods of falling market prices through its four main components—PSS, PSF, POPS, and MIS—helping protect farm incomes and provide financial stability.

Krishionnati Yojana- Sub Mission On Seed And Planting Material (SMSP): The scheme "Sub Mission on Seed and Planting Material (SMSP)" is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the umbrella scheme of "Green Revolution – Krishonnati Yojana".  This scheme aims to increase the production of certified/quality seed, increase SRR, upgrade the quality of farm-saved seeds, strengthen the seed multiplication chain, promote new technologies and methodologies in seed production, processing, testing, etc., to strengthen and modernise infrastructure for seed production, storage, certification, and quality, etc.

In the Union Budget 2026, the government allocated Rs 11,200 crore, up from Rs 8,000 crore in 2025–26, marking a 40 per cent increase in funding.

Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM): It is a Central Sector Scheme. For the year 2026–27, the government has allocated a budget estimate of Rs 5,000 crore. The revised estimate for 2025–26 was also Rs 5,000 crore, while the original budget estimate for 2025–26 was Rs 2,600 crore, showing a sharp increase of 92.3 per cent.

The PM-KUSUM scheme supports farmers by providing up to 60 per cent subsidy for installing solar irrigation pumps and allows them to sell extra power. The scheme aims to reduce the use of diesel in farming, add 34.8 GW of solar capacity, and help farmers earn extra income by 2026. It works through a three-component structure.

Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana: It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. For this year, the government has allocated Rs 8,550 crore, slightly higher than the Rs 8,500 crore provided in the previous year. However, the Budget revised estimate for 2025–26 stood at Rs 7,000 crore.

The scheme aims to make farming more profitable by increasing public investment in agriculture and allied sectors. It focuses on post-harvest management and technological development, while also giving states the flexibility and freedom to implement agricultural programmes based on their local needs.

Support for High Value Agriculture and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna:  Support for High Value Agriculture comes under the Central Sector Scheme with an allocation of Rs 350 crore this year. In addition, the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, has received an allocation of Rs 2,500 crore to strengthen irrigation support for farmers. The objective of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana is to expand irrigation coverage, reduce water wastage, and improve agricultural productivity and water efficiency through micro-irrigation systems such as drip and sprinkler irrigation.