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Data

The numbers behind the story.

Figures from official releases, each with what it means, its source and date, and its place in the book. Last reviewed 14 September 2026.

Where published sources disagree, we show the range and say so. Scheme figures measure reach, not outcomes, and are read that way in the book.

The structure of the farm economy

MetricFigureWhat it meansSourceIn the book
Workforce in agriculture43.0%Share of workers whose principal activity is agriculture; down from 44.8% in 2024.PLFS Annual Report 2025 (Jan–Dec 2025), MoSPIJourney IThe Inherited Question
Agriculture’s share of GVA18.0%Agriculture & allied sectors’ share of nominal gross value added, FY 2025-26 (2022-23 base).MoSPI press note, 5 June 2026Journey IThe Inherited Question
Agricultural growth3.0%Real GVA growth in agriculture & allied, FY 2025-26; 3.6% in Q1 FY 2026-27.MoSPI press notes, June & Aug 2026Journey IThe Inherited Question
Operational holdings14.6 croreAverage size 1.08 ha; small & marginal holdings are 86% of holdings but 47% of area. Results of the 2021-22 census are awaited.Agriculture Census 2015-16Journey IThe Inherited Question
Irrigated area≈55%Gross irrigated area as a share of gross cropped area, 2022-23. Provisional: to be confirmed against Land Use Statistics.Economic Survey 2025-26Journey IIBuilding the Floor

The floor: income, risk and resources

MetricFigureWhat it meansSourceIn the book
PM-KISAN transfers₹4.47 lakh crCumulative, 23 instalments. The 23rd (20 June 2026) paid ₹18,880 crore to 9.44 crore farmers.PIB, 31 July 2026Journey IIBuilding the Floor
Crop insurance (PMFBY)₹2.06 lakh crClaims paid on 26.33 crore applications; 92.46 crore farmer applications insured since Kharif 2016. Applications, not unique farmers.PIB, 2026Journey IIBuilding the Floor
Soil Health Cards25.17 croreCards issued since the scheme’s launch in February 2015.PIB, 24 July 2025Journey IIBuilding the Floor

The market: credit, institutions and infrastructure

MetricFigureWhat it meansSourceIn the book
Kisan Credit Cards7.72 croreOperative accounts, with ₹10.2 lakh crore outstanding. Interest-subvention limit raised to ₹5 lakh in Budget 2025-26.PIB, March 2026Journey IIIBuilding the Market
Agricultural credit target₹32.5 lakh crGround-level credit target for 2025-26, including ₹5 lakh crore for animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries.PIB, 2025-26Journey IIIBuilding the Market
Farmer producer organisations10,000Formed under the central scheme (₹6,865 crore, launched Feb 2020); target reached 24 Feb 2025.PIB, 2025Journey IIIBuilding the Market
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund₹80,224 crSanctioned for 1,50,431 projects, mobilising ₹1.28 lakh crore of investment.PIB, 26 January 2026Journey IIIBuilding the Market
e-NAM1,656 mandis1.80 crore farmers registered; ₹4.84 lakh crore cumulative trade since 2016.PIB backgrounder, March 2026Journey IIIBuilding the Market

The digital turn

MetricFigureWhat it meansSourceIn the book
Farmer IDs (AgriStack)10.31 croreGenerated as of 3 August 2026, against a target of 11 crore by FY 2026-27.Rajya Sabha reply, 7 August 2026Journey IVThe Digital Turn
Digital Crop Survey648 districtsCoverage in Rabi 2025-26, recording 31.3 crore plots.Rajya Sabha reply, August 2026Journey IVThe Digital Turn

Production and diversification

MetricFigureWhat it meansSourceIn the book
Foodgrain production376.56 MTRecord output in 2025-26 (third advance estimates), up from 357.73 MT in 2024-25.DA&FW, 27 May 2026Journey VFrom Farmer to Enterprise
Horticulture production377.8 MT2025-26 second advance estimates: horticulture output now matches or exceeds foodgrains.DA&FW, June 2026Journey VFrom Farmer to Enterprise
Milk production247.87 MT2024-25, up 3.58%. India is the world’s largest milk producer.Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2025Journey VFrom Farmer to Enterprise
Fish production197.75 lakh tFY 2024-25. India is the world’s second-largest fish producer.Department of Fisheries, January 2026Journey VFrom Farmer to Enterprise
Agricultural exportsUS$50 bn+Agri & allied exports in FY 2025-26. Published totals range from US$52.6 bn to US$54.7 bn depending on product coverage.Department of Commerce / PIB, 2026Journey VFrom Farmer to Enterprise

Sources

Press Information Bureau releases, MoSPI (PLFS and national accounts), the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, the Department of Fisheries, the Department of Commerce and the Agriculture Census. Parliamentary replies are used where no later official release exists.

Reading the figures

Insurance figures count applications, not unique farmers. GVA shares use the 2022-23 base year and are not comparable with the older 2011-12 series. Advance estimates of production are revised as final data arrive.

The Farmer Ledger · Monthly

A concise monthly note on the political economy of Indian agriculture.

Policy, markets, technology and the farmer economy, written for people who need to understand them. Not a book promotion.

  1. No. 1One NumberThe figure that explains the month in Indian agriculture.
  2. No. 2One PolicyA scheme, rule or budget line, read for what it changes.
  3. No. 3One IdeaA concept from the farmer economy, argued in a few hundred words.
  4. No. 4One ChartEvidence you can see, with its source attached.
  5. No. 5One Thing to WatchThe decision, data release or debate coming next.

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