The Union Budget 2026 has placed agritech and AI at the centre of its strategy to boost farm productivity and rural incomes. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “I propose to launch Bharat-VISTAAR (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources), a multilingual AI tool that shall integrate the AgriStack portals and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research package on agricultural practices with AI systems”.
This will enhance farm productivity, enable better decisions for farmers, and reduce risk by providing customised advisory support, she added.
Bharat-VISTAAR will provide crop- and region-specific guidance, helping farmers make informed decisions, improve yields, and reduce production risks.
Alongside this digital push, the Budget outlines plans to modernise and scale up livestock, dairy and poultry enterprises, while building integrated value chains led by farmer-producer organisations. These measures aim to diversify farm outputs, increase productivity, generate rural employment, and strengthen farmer incomes.
High-value agriculture is another key focus. Support is proposed for coconut, cashew, cocoa, and sandalwood in coastal regions, tree crops in the Northeast, and walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts in hilly states.
India, the world’s largest producer of coconuts, will benefit from a Coconut Promotion Scheme, which includes replacing old and unproductive trees with high-yielding varieties across major coconut-growing states. Nearly 30 million people, including about 10 million farmers, depend on coconuts for their livelihoods.
A dedicated programme for cashew and cocoa aims to make India self-reliant in production and processing, enhance export competitiveness, and transform Indian cashew and cocoa into premium global brands by 2030.
Furthermore, the programme will support farmer incomes and promote value addition by engaging youth, to rejuvenate old, low-yielding orchards and expand high-density cultivation of walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts.
Meanwhile, startups such as AgriPilot.ai have collaborated with Microsoft Research for over five years, integrating AI, satellite imagery, and other tools to transform the farming sector.
Identifying critical factors such as soil nutrient levels, water availability, and suitable weather conditions are some of the areas AgriPilot.ai specialises in to optimise crop yield and resource usage.
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