India's agriculture grew at 4.42% during 2015-24 surpassing China’s 4.10%: NITI Aayog's Ramesh Chand

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• India's agriculture grew 4.42% from 2015–24, surpassing China's 4.10%.
• Farmers' income rose 126 percent in ten years; producers' income up 108 percent
• India is now the world's largest milk producer and biggest rice exporter

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India’s agricultural income did not witness a single year with negative growth during 2015–16 to 2024–25, according to a recent report titled ‘Agriculture in meeting aspirations of rising India’, released on October 10 last year, by Ramesh Chand, member of NITI Aayog. The country’s agriculture sector defied Covid, which failed to cause adverse effects on agriculture unlike the non-agriculture sector.

As per the report, India’s agriculture growth during 2015-24 stood at 4.42 percent, surpassing that of China’s at 4.10 percent.

During 2014–15 to 2023–24, income of agricultural producers grew at 10.11 per cent annually, higher than manufacturing and total economy. The income of farmers too increased by 126 per cent in ten years while producers’ income rose by 108 per cent between 2015–16 and 2022–23- states the report.

Chand, in his report, highlights that India’s vision of “Viksit Bharat” by 2047 hinges on two principal pillars: raising per capita income to the level of developed economies and ensuring inclusive development, or “Sabka Vikas”.

He noted that agriculture must play a central role in this national transformation, given that the sector contributes 19.73 percent of national income at current prices and engages 46 percent of India’s total workforce.

The period from 2014–15 to 2024–25 represents the highest growth phase in India’s agricultural history, marked by strong and sustained expansion of the sector, Chand noted.

This growth has been demand-led and increasingly diversified towards high-value crops and allied sectors, reflecting structural transformation within agriculture.

“During this period, agriculture has also demonstrated enhanced stability and resilience, even amid climatic and global economic uncertainties. At the same time, the sector has absorbed a rapidly expanding workforce, particularly women, underscoring its continuing socio-economic importance,” he said, adding these trends indicate that sustained agricultural progress will play a pivotal role in realizing the national vision of “Viksit Bharat @2047”.

Growth in Gross Value Added agriculture and allied activities accelerated after 2004–05 and further after 2014–15, as per the report.

“This acceleration in income of the agricultural sector raised annual growth during 2015-16 to 2024-25 to the historically highest level of 4.45 per cent. India’s agriculture sector did not achieve this level of growth in any decadal period since 1950-51,” the report said.

Further, this growth rate is not only historically highest, but it is also the highest growth in the last decade among major agricultural countries.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, data on country-wise GDP, the agriculture sector in India achieved an average growth rate of 3 per cent during 2006-2015, which was the same as growth in world agriculture.

In the next decade, i.e. 2015 to 2024 growth in world agriculture decelerated, but India’s growth accelerated to 4.42 per cent. With this growth, India surpassed China, whose growth rate decelerated to 4.1 per cent.

The coverage of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana has also increased from 3.4 crore farmers (2018–19) to 4.1 crore (2024–25).

Agricultural financing rose from 29.4 per cent of output (2013–14) to 41.7 per cent (2023–24) and e-NAM has integrated 1,522 mandis by mid-2025.

The country’s dairy production has increased from 146 million tonnes (2014–15) to over 239 million tonnes (2023–24) while fruit and vegetable production has risen from 280.7 million tonnes (2013–14)to 367.72 million tonnes (2023–24). The country is the world’s largest milk producer and biggest exporter of rice.

The report mentioned that terms of trade for agriculture improved by 41.3 percentage points between 2008–09 and 2020–21. While the WPI (Wholesale Price Index) agriculture almost doubled between 2011–12 and 2024–25, wholesale agriculture prices gained 2.4 per cent per year in real terms for 13 years.