Budget 2026: Research funding cut amid boost to agri spending
This year's Union Budget bumps up agriculture spending to ₹1.62 lakh crore—a 7% increase—but actually cuts funding for agricultural research.
While a new ₹350 crore scheme was announced to promote high-value plantation crops, including coconut, cocoa, cashew and tree nuts, and fisheries see a boost too, research support drops to ₹9,967 crore from last year's ₹10,466 crore.
While some sectors get a lift, big-picture challenges remain unresolved
The focus on cash crops and tech tools like the new Bharat Vistaar AI for farmers sounds promising, but experts are worried about slashing research funds when climate risks and low crop prices are already hurting farmers.
There's also disappointment that subsidies for price support and insurance haven't really grown—so while some sectors get a lift, big-picture challenges remain unresolved.