Bhubaneswar: In a significant move to bolster the agriculture and allied sectors, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who also holds the Finance portfolio, presented the Annual Budget for 2025-26 on Monday. The budget proposed an allocation of Rs. 37,838 crore for agriculture, marking a 12% increase compared to the previous year’s allocation. This substantial hike underscores the state government’s commitment to enhancing farmer welfare, promoting crop diversification, and ensuring food security.
Key highlights of the agriculture budget include Rs. 6,000 crore allocated for the Samrudha Krushaka Yojana, aimed at supporting farmers, and Rs. 2,020 crore for the CM-KISAN scheme to provide financial assistance to farmers. Additionally, Rs. 600 crore has been earmarked for the Shree Anna Abhiyan, focusing on millet promotion. Similarly, Rs 209 crore has been provisioned for Coffee Mission. The budget also prioritizes women empowerment in agriculture with an allocation of Rs. 93 crore.
To support farmers further, the budget introduces interest-free loans, with a corpus fund of Rs. 100 crore for OSSC Ltd. to facilitate seed procurement and Rs. 150 crore for OSCMF Ltd. for fertilizer procurement. Post-harvest management and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) have also been prioritized, with Rs. 73 crore allocated for FPOs and Rs. 62 crore for post-harvest management and marketing to reduce crop wastage.
Crop diversification and horticulture have received significant attention, with Rs. 436 crore for crop-specific clusters in horticulture, Rs. 695 crore for the Crop Diversification Programme, and Rs. 255 crore for the National Food Security Mission (NFSM). Additionally, Rs. 101 crore has been allocated for the National Horticulture Mission, while Rs. 194 crore will go toward soil conservation and watershed management. Farm mechanization and agriculture entrepreneurship have been allocated Rs. 425 crore.
The budget also focuses on paddy procurement and food security, with Rs. 2,000 crore for the Revolving Fund for Paddy Procurement, Rs. 450 crore for assistance to OSCSC Ltd. for paddy procurement, and Rs. 61 crore for village-wise plot-level analysis of paddy crop-growing areas. Furthermore, Rs. 2,507 crore has been allocated for the Public Distribution System (PDS), and Rs. 49 crore for Fair Price Shop Automation.
Livestock and fisheries development have also been prioritized, with Rs. 171 crore for the Prani Sampad Samrudhi Yojana, Rs. 146 crore for the Mukhyamantri Kamadhenu Yojana (MKY), Rs. 235 crore for the Mukhyamantri Maschyajibi Kalyan Yojana (MMKY), and Rs. 245 crore for the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
To ease the financial burden on farmers, Rs. 910 crore has been allocated for interest subvention to cooperative banks and PACs for providing crop loans, while Rs. 650 crore has been set aside for the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
Chief Minister Mohan Majhi emphasized that the increased allocation reflects the state government’s focus on sustainable agricultural practices, farmer welfare, and rural development.
