The Economic Survey 2025–26 paints a sobering picture of Indian agriculture, revealing a sector weighed down by structural inefficiencies, widening productivity gaps and mounting resource stress, despite periodic resilience. Far from being a growth engine, agriculture continues to struggle with chronic weaknesses that threaten both farmer incomes and long-term food security.
One of the most glaring concerns flagged by the survey is India’s persistent underperformance in crop yields compared to global benchmarks. Yields of major crops — including pulses, cereals, maize and soybean — remain significantly below international averages.
Even within the country, sharp regional disparities persist. In several major rice-producing states, yields trail the national average due to unseasonal rainfall, heat stress and prolonged dry spells during crucial crop stages, underscoring agriculture’s increasing vulnerability to climate shocks.
Pulse cultivation emerges as particularly fragile. The survey notes that in 15 of the last 27 El Niño years, pulse acreage and output fell sharply, with yield losses ranging between 5 and 25 per cent. This volatility has made domestic production unreliable, increasing dependence on imports and exposing consumers to price swings.
Equally worrying are the severe distortions in input use. India’s fertiliser consumption pattern has become increasingly skewed, with the nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (N:P:K) ratio deteriorating to 10.9:4.1:1 in 2023–24, far removed from the recommended 4:2:1 balance. The survey attributes this imbalance largely to pricing distortions, particularly the subsidised urea. The consequences are already visible: declining soil organic matter, increased nitrate contamination of groundwater, and a diminishing yield response to fertilisers.
