PolicyDhara

India’s first soil carbon payments are providing additional income opportunities for farmers adopting regenerative practices, linking carbon credits with sustainable agriculture and resource conservation.

India aims to raise food processing levels to 25-30%, supporting greater value addition, lower post-harvest losses and stronger export opportunities for the food processing sector.

Coir is evolving from a traditional rural livelihood into a value-added industry, creating opportunities in handicrafts, agriculture, manufacturing and sustainable products.

For two nonprofits working at very different ends of the climate change spectrum, AI has changed what they can credibly offer the people they serve. SEEDS India, which works on building the resilience of people exposed to disasters and climate change impacts, and Farmers for Forests (F4F), which works in agroforestry, arrived at their respective AI solutions from different starting points and in pursuit of different aims. But both have seen a shift in the basic value proposition of their work: f

Mr. Jitin Prasada laid the foundation stone for a BEDF Basmati and Organic Training Centre in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh. The centre will support farmers with quality seeds, organic farming training and export handholding.

Mr. Piyush Goyal met Thailand's Deputy PM Ms. Suphajee Suthumpun to discuss deepening bilateral trade and investment and advancing the AITIGA review. The two sides also engaged with Thai businesses across sectors including space technology, logistics and food processing.

India's fisheries sector has seen investments exceeding US$ 5.21 billion since 2015, with seafood exports rising to US$ 8.36 billion in 2025-26. RAS and Biofloc technologies are driving a shift towards intensive, export-oriented aquaculture.

India and Brazil are targeting US$ 30 billion in bilateral trade by 2030, while advancing cooperation in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, critical minerals, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.

India and Argentina advanced cooperation across lithium, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, digital technologies and trade facilitation, with bilateral trade crossing US$ 6.50 billion in 2025.

India and Morocco have agreed to double bilateral trade over the next five years and set up a Joint Working Group to explore a preferential trade agreement. The two countries also signed agreements on food safety and cultural exchange, while identifying fertilisers, automotive, pharmaceuticals and agriculture as key areas for deeper cooperation.

India-Cambodia bilateral trade grew over 36% to US$ 406.78 million in FY 2025-26 as both countries discussed deeper cooperation in trade, investment, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, digital payments and customs.

Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi interacted with founders of 20 space startups, encouraging wider applications of space technology across agriculture, livestock, environment and other sectors while supporting India’s growing private space ecosystem.

Google India Managing Director Ms. Preeti Lobana said small enterprises, farmers and workers in Tier-2, Tier-3 and rural India will drive the next phase of India’s digital economy and broader AI adoption.

India and Singapore strengthened economic cooperation through high-level ministerial and business engagements focused on trade, investment, technology, agri-exports, fintech, Global Capability Centres and sustainable infrastructure.

India and Singapore are strengthening economic ties through ministerial and business-level engagements focused on investment, market access, technology, skills, agri-food exports and advanced manufacturing.

RRBs recorded 10.3% growth in gross loans to US$ 6.54 billion in FY26, while maintaining strong Priority Sector Lending and expanding credit access for farmers, MSMEs and weaker sections.

India’s banking sector is entering the next phase of reforms with NPAs at their lowest-ever level, while PSB Confluence 2026 focuses on actionable strategies across deposits, youth banking, investment, agriculture and credit.

Three years ago, Vinod Kumar Maurya (33) travelled village to village in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur on his two-wheeler to inform farmers about an upcoming carbon project in their region. Maurya’s tasklist was long, and so he packaged the information in simple terms: “Farmers who don’t burn their crop residue and plough it back to the soil instead, and who use minimal chemical fertilisers, will receive some subsidy.” Maurya did not have an answer to the follow-up questions of “when?” and “how much?”

The Sapt Dhara vision outlines seven growth pillars spanning manufacturing, agriculture, technology, connectivity, defence, green and blue economy and soft power to strengthen India’s global position.

India’s agriculture sector is strengthening its contribution to the economy, with rising GVA reflecting expanding farm and allied activities and growing opportunities across agricultural value chains.