Farmer groups flag gaps in Union Budget’s response to agriculture sector

Farmer groups criticize the Union Budget 2026-27 for neglecting key agriculture issues like input costs, MSP, and rural support.

Several farmer organisations in Tamil Nadu on Sunday said the Union Budget 2026–27 did not sufficiently address issues faced by the agriculture sector, including rural distress, rising input costs and climate-related challenges.

The Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association, affiliated to the CPI(M), said the Union government had failed to offer any meaningful intervention to address the agrarian crisis even after more than a decade in office. In a statement, its general secretary Sami Natarajan termed the Budget a “grave betrayal of farmers”, contending no new schemes had been announced and allocations for agriculture continued to remain inadequate.

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He also pointed to the absence of enhanced allocations for fertilizer and pesticide subsidies and expressed disappointment that the annual ₹6,000 assistance under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme had not been revised upwards, despite sustained demands from farmer groups.

Echoing these concerns, P. R. Pandian, president of the Tamil Nadu All Farmers’ Associations Coordination Committee, said the Budget prioritised industrial investment while ignoring the basic needs of the farm sector. Speaking from Mannargudi, he said there was no provision for farm mechanisation, no statutory backing for minimum support price (MSP), and no announcements on loan waivers, marketing support or other farmer-centric measures.

While welcoming announcements related to sandalwood cultivation, coconut farming and efforts to globalise cashew production, Mr. Pandian said the lack of financial support for staple crops such as paddy, wheat and sugarcane was deeply disappointing. He also criticised the absence of a long-term vision on strengthening input subsidies, expanding cultivated area, improving irrigation infrastructure, river interlinking, rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge.