Agriculture focus, aatmanirbharta in pulses: What Budget 2025 brings for farmers

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her eighth consecutive Union Budget in Parliament on Saturday, February 1, 2025, with a decision to launch 'Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana' in low-yielding districts to boost agriculture sector.

Sitharaman said the government will give benefits to 1.7 crore farmers from the agricultural program. To promote prosperity in rural areas, policies will be formulated in collaboration with states, she said.

Here are some schemes and plans the FM announced in her speech:

• Pulse Production Mission: A 6-year special mission to boost production of tur, urad, and masoor, with central agencies procuring these crops over 4 years
• Makhana Board: Establishment of a Makhana Board in Bihar to ensure fair pricing for makhana farmers
• Vegetable and Fruit Production: A joint plan with states to increase vegetable and fruit production
• Cotton Production Mission: A 5-year special mission to boost cotton production
• Kisan Credit Card Limit: Increase in Kisan Credit Card limit to approximately Rs 5 lakh
• New Urea Plant: Setup of a new urea plant in Assam to provide affordable and quality urea to farmers

Meanwhile, Sitharaman also emphasised initiating reforms in 6 domains taxation, urban development, mining, financial sector, power and regulatory reforms.

Agriculture stocks rally; Kaveri Seed, Mangalam Seeds, Nath Bio, Dhanuka Agritech skyrocket up to 13%

Several agriculture companies' stocks rallied after this measure announcement up to 13 per cent during the FM speech. Here's how the sector performed on Dalal Street:

• Kaveri Seed shares increased 13.49 per cent to Rs 1,020.70.
• UPL rose 0.94 per cent to Rs 609.
• Mangalam Seeds surged 7.09 per cent to Rs 222.
• Nath Bio-Genes up 5.77 per cent to Rs 178.60
• Dhanuka Agritech jumped 2.61 per cent to Rs 1,479.35.

On the other side, the Chambal Fertilisers & Chemicals stock fell 0.59 per cent to Rs 501.05, while Tata Chemicals shares declined 0.30 per cent to Rs 983.85.