New Delhi: As a prelude to the Kisan Divas 2025, the Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA), a non-profit uplifting the cause of millions of farmers and farm workers involved in commercial crop cultivation in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka, organised a national seminar on the theme “Rising Food Demand & Economic Growth Imperatives” at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi. The seminar highlighted the central role of farmers in meeting India’s escalating food demand and presented strategic interventions to empower farmers and accelerate sustainable growth in the agricultural sector.
At the seminar, FAIFA also released a White Paper addressing the mounting pressures on India’s food system. The report highlighted the critical role of agriculture in responding to the country’s population growth projected to exceed 1.6 billion by 2050, alongside rising disposable incomes and a rapidly expanding middle class that is reshaping dietary preferences toward more diverse and high-value foods. These demand-side pressures are further compounded by shrinking and fragmented farmland due to urbanization, industrial expansion, and inheritance patterns.
To build a modern and sustainable agriculture sector with empowered farmers the White Paper recommended a four-pillar strategy. Firstly, the permaculture-focused pillar proposes an investment of Rs. 10,000 crores (2026–2030) to bring 5 million hectares under permaculture-based farming. Secondly, export diversification should be driven by an investment of Rs. 15,000 crores to raise agricultural exports to USD 100 billion through 50 Agri-Export Zones, cold-chain expansion, quality certification, and value addition in high-value crops. Thirdly, to uphold India’s non-GMO agricultural integrity, Rs. 5,000 crores should be allocated over five years and indigenous seed varieties to be expanded by 50 percent and 100 climate-resilient non-GMO crops to be developed. Finally, agricultural financing can be transformed through annual credit disbursement of Rs. 50,000 crores, reaching Rs. 25 lakh crore by 2028 for 50 million small and marginal farmers via AI-driven digital lending.