Union Budget 2026–27: Big Push to Livestock and Fisheries Growth

Source: PIB

Subject: Agriculture/ Economics

Context: The Union Budget 2026–27 significantly increased allocations for livestock and fisheries (increase of 26.7%), recognising them as the main drivers of agriculture growth (4.6% in FY26).

About Union Budget 2026–27: Big Push to Livestock and Fisheries Growth

What it is?

• The allocation for the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying has been increased to ₹8,915.26 crore for FY 2026-27.

• This shift acknowledges that while traditional crops grew at ~3.5%, the livestock and fisheries sectors surged at ~7.1%, now contributing nearly 16% of total farm income.

Livestock Sector: Building Professional & Value Chains:

The budget focuses on Saturation and Professionalization to safeguard animal health and boost productivity.

• Veterinary Workforce Expansion: A landmark target to add 20,000+ veterinary professionals.

• Loan-linked Capital Subsidy: A new scheme to incentivize the private sector to establish veterinary colleges, hospitals, diagnostic labs, and breeding centers.

• Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM): Received a major push with ₹800 crore to enhance the productivity of indigenous cattle breeds.

• Entrepreneurship Support: An Integrated Scheme for Entrepreneurship Development (outlay: ₹500 crore) will provide credit-linked subsidies to startups and Livestock FPOs.

• Tax Relief for Cooperatives: Tax deductions on cattle feed supply and inter-cooperative dividends were introduced to strengthen dairy cooperatives.

Fisheries Sector: Blue Economy & Export Dominance:

The fisheries sector received its highest-ever budgetary support of ₹2,761.80 crore, with a heavy emphasis on infrastructure and global trade.

Inland & Coastal Infrastructure:

• Reservoir Development: Integrated development of 500 reservoirs and Amrit Sarovars to boost inland fish production.

• Empowerment through FPOs: Strengthening coastal value chains by involving women-led groups and 200+ fisheries startups.

Radical Export Reforms:

To make Indian seafood globally competitive against rising trade headwinds, the government introduced several strategic tax and trade measures:

Reform | Impact

Duty-Free Input Imports | Limit raised from 1% to 3% of export turnover for seafood processing.

EEZ Catch Exemption | Fish caught in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) or high seas is now duty-free.

Foreign Port Landings | Treating fish landed at foreign ports as exports, simplifying logistics for deep-sea fleets.

Courier Export Cap | Removal of the ₹10 lakh cap to enable small startups to access global e-commerce markets.