New Delhi, 29 January: Union Minister for Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Thursday responded to the Economic Survey, stating that the data clearly shows unprecedented progress in agriculture and rural development under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chouhan highlighted that the average annual growth rate in agriculture and allied sectors over the past five years has been 4.4 percent at constant prices, surpassing the global average. From the financial year 2016 to 2025, the decade growth rate of the agriculture sector stood at 4.45 percent, the highest in recent decades. He added that in the second quarter of the financial year 2025-26, the agriculture sector recorded a growth rate of 3.5 percent, reflecting its strength and stability.
The Union Minister further noted that the country’s food grain production reached a record 357.73 million tonnes in the financial year 2024-25. This increase is mainly due to better yields of rice, wheat, maize, and coarse cereals. India is not only self-reliant in food grain production but also plays a leading role globally in several crops.
Chouhan pointed out that horticulture emerged as a bright spot with nearly 33 percent share in agriculture gross value added (GVA). Horticulture production rose from 280.70 million tonnes in 2013-14 to 367.72 million tonnes in 2024-25. During this period, fruit production reached 114.51 million tonnes, vegetables 219.67 million tonnes, and other horticulture crops 33.54 million tonnes.
He said India is now the world’s largest onion producer, contributing around 25 percent of global onion production. Additionally, India ranks second globally in the production of vegetables, fruits, and potatoes, holding a 12–13 percent share in global output for each category.
Regarding rural development, Chouhan highlighted significant progress in infrastructure such as roads, housing, drinking water, and digital connectivity. Under the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), over 99.6 percent of eligible habitations have been connected with all-weather roads.
He informed that millions of kilometres of roads and thousands of bridges have been constructed under various phases of PMGSY. Under PMGSY-IV, approval has been granted for more than 10,000 km of road projects, ensuring access to essential services for about 3,270 unconnected habitations in Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Sikkim, and Himachal Pradesh.
The Minister also shared that under the ‘Housing for All’ goal, 3.70 crore pucca houses have been constructed in rural areas over the past 11 years. The target for the Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) is 4.14 crore houses, with most already approved.
Chouhan referred to digital and technological initiatives, stating that drone surveys have been completed in 3.28 lakh villages under the Swamitva scheme, and 2.76 crore property cards have been issued. The Digital Land Records Modernization Programme has achieved 99.8 percent digitization of land records in rural areas. Under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, more than 10 crore rural women are linked with over 90 lakh self-help groups. The number of ‘Lakhpati Didi’ has crossed 2.5 crore, marking a major milestone in women’s economic empowerment in rural India.