Agriculture has always been more than an economic sector for India, it is the backbone of our society, a source of livelihood for over 40% of our population, and the foundation of our food security. Yet for decades, Indian agriculture has faced a paradox: we produce abundantly, but farmers often struggle with incomes, market access, and sustainability.
The recently announced Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana seeks to break this cycle, not through piecemeal subsidies, but by treating agriculture as a system that must be modernised end-to-end.
Beyond Input Subsidies: A Holistic Approach
The scheme signals a shift from fragmented interventions to a comprehensive framework. Instead of focusing narrowly on seeds, fertilizers, or credit, it aims to address the entire chain, from soil health to storage, from irrigation to international markets. This approach is crucial, because farmers’ prosperity does not depend on one factor alone, but on the interplay of productivity, resilience, value-addition, and fair pricing.
Key Pillars of the Yojana
- Sustainability First – Emphasis on soil rejuvenation, crop diversification, and water-use efficiency ensures long-term productivity without depleting natural resources.
- Technology Integration – Digital platforms for crop monitoring, precision farming tools, and AI-driven market intelligence can help farmers make informed choices.
- Value Chain Development – By investing in storage, logistics, and processing, the scheme aims to reduce post-harvest losses and ensure better price realisation.
- Farmer as Entrepreneur – Instead of being seen merely as producers, farmers are positioned as stakeholders in agribusiness, with access to credit, FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations), and direct market linkages.
Why Systemic Reform Matters
Indian agriculture cannot be transformed by higher yields alone. Without stable markets, efficient distribution, and climate adaptation, gains at the farm level can be lost in the supply chain. A systemic lens recognises that agriculture is not just about farms, but about networks, of farmers, traders, processors, retailers, and consumers.
By addressing bottlenecks across this ecosystem, the Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana has the potential to reduce volatility, empower smallholders, and align India’s food systems with both domestic needs and export ambitions.
Challenges on the Horizon
- Implementation at scale: Schemes often falter in translation from policy to ground. Coordination between Centre, States, and local bodies will be critical.
- Access gaps: Small and marginal farmers, who form the majority, must not be left out of digital and financial innovations.
- Climate risks: With rising weather uncertainties, crop insurance and resilient practices must be central, not peripheral.
- Global competitiveness: For exports, quality standards, traceability, and branding will matter as much as production volumes.
A Moment of Opportunity
India stands at a unique juncture. The world is looking to us not just as an IT powerhouse, but as a reliable supplier of food and agri-products. With the right policy support, we can transform from being “an agricultural economy” to “an agri-industrial leader.”
The Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana offers a blueprint in this direction. But success will depend on whether it stays true to its systemic spirit, aligning inputs, markets, technology, and sustainability into one integrated strategy.
My Perspective
If implemented with urgency and inclusivity, the Yojana could well be remembered as a turning point, where Indian agriculture moved from survival to prosperity, from piecemeal fixes to structural transformation.
It is time we stopped asking how to help the farmer in isolation, and started asking how to build an agricultural system that works for farmers, consumers, and the economy alike.
