The All India Kisan Sabha says the government’s repeated claims of enhancing farmers’ incomes have been exposed as a ‘smoke-screen’, with agriculture finding virtually no presence in the budget
NEW DELHI – Terming the Union Budget 2026–27 as “anti-farmer, anti-worker and anti-federal”, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) on Monday called upon farmers and rural workers across the country to burn copies of the Budget on February 3 in protest against what it described as the complete marginalisation of agriculture and rural employment. The peasant organisation said the government’s repeated claims of enhancing farmers’ incomes have been exposed as a “smoke-screen”, with agriculture finding virtually no presence in the budget.
In a statement, AIKS General Secretary Vijoo Krishnan and President Ashok Dhawale said the budget once again caters to corporate and elite interests while neglecting the livelihood concerns of millions of agricultural dependents. “The Union Budget 2026–27 fails to present any serious commitment towards the strategic regeneration of agriculture—the most crucial livelihood sector of the Indian people,” the statement said.
AIKS pointed out that agriculture was largely ignored in the finance minister’s budget speech, with small and marginal farmers mentioned only once and rural labour not mentioned at all. “This silence is not accidental; it reflects a deliberate policy choice,” the organisation said, adding that the budgetary allocations reinforce this neglect.
Referring to the Economic Survey tabled earlier this week, AIKS noted that agricultural growth has slowed significantly. The sector recorded a growth rate of 3.5 per cent in the previous quarter of 2025, well below the decadal average of 4.45 per cent, with crop production witnessing the steepest decline. “At a time when agriculture is facing stagnation and distress, the Budget was expected to provide relief and renewed momentum. Instead, it has deepened the crisis,” the statement said.
The total allocation for the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has been fixed at around ₹1.40 lakh crore—only a 5.3 per cent increase in nominal terms over the revised estimates of 2025–26. After adjusting for inflation, AIKS argued, there is virtually no real increase in public spending on agriculture.
Despite the Economic Survey acknowledging that yields of key crops such as cereals, maize, soybean and pulses in India remain far below global averages, making production increasingly unviable, the Budget has reduced allocations for agricultural research. Funding for the Department of Agricultural Research and Education has been cut from ₹10,281 crore (RE 2025–26) to ₹9,967 crore (BE 2026–27), even as the finance minister spoke of boosting productivity as a national “kartavya”.
AIKS also criticised the government’s continued emphasis on select cash crops such as coconut, cocoa, cashew, nuts and sandalwood, pointing out that several previously announced missions—including the Cotton Technology Mission, Mission on Pulses, Hybrid Seeds Mission and the Makhana Board—find no reflection in actual budgetary provisions.
On farmer relief, the organisation said the Budget offers “nothing of substance”. There is no proposal for loan waivers, while the fertiliser subsidy has been slashed by ₹15,679 crore—from ₹1,86,460 crore (RE 2025–26) to ₹1,70,781 crore (BE 2026–27). Food subsidy allocations have also been reduced from revised estimates of previous years.
Rural employment, AIKS said, has been pushed to the margins. The Budget speech made no mention of MGNREGS or the newly enacted VB-GRAMG scheme, signalling what the organisation termed a “complete dismissal” of rural livelihood concerns. While VB-GRAMG has been allocated ₹95,692 crore, this represents only the Centre’s 60 per cent share, leaving states to bear an additional burden of over ₹63,794 crore.
Citing the Economic Review 2025–26, AIKS noted that the number of surplus states has fallen sharply—from 19 in 2018–19 to 11 in 2023–24. With states demanding a 50 per cent share of the divisible pool but the 16th Finance Commission recommending only 41 per cent, the organisation warned that financially constrained states would be unable to sustain employment guarantee schemes. “Even the average 47 days of employment under MGNREGS will not be available to rural households under the VB-GRAMG framework,” it said, calling this a direct assault on peasants, rural workers and federal rights.
The only notable increase within agriculture and allied sectors is in Animal Husbandry and Dairying, where allocations have risen from ₹5,303 crore (RE 2025–26) to ₹6,135 crore (BE 2026–27). However, AIKS criticised the focus on credit-driven expansion, private-sector breeding and foreign investment, arguing that it does little to address agrarian distress on the ground.
Reiterating its call for resistance, the AIKS appealed to farmers, rural workers and citizens to burn copies of the Union Budget 2026–27 in villages and tehsils across the country on February 3 or on subsequent days. The organisation also urged people to ensure the success of the nationwide general strike scheduled for February 12, stating that it would reflect the growing anger against what it termed an “anti-people” and “pro-corporate” budget.
