Agriculture GDP to rise from $55 billion to $500 billion by 2047: CM

Maharashtra’s agriculture sector, which is largely rain-fed, has benefited from good monsoons over the past four years. A drought-like situation in the coming monsoon could pose challenges to the government’s efforts to boost agricultural growth, which has struggled to cross 4 per cent of the state’s GDP.

Giving agriculture, allied sectors and rural development top priority in the 2026-27 budget, Fadnavis said, “Maharashtra’s agriculture GDP is set to increase from dollar $ 55 billion to $ 500 by 2047.”

He said an integrated value chain would be created for 10 to 15 crops to help provide access to global markets for agricultural produce. The government also plans to create an integrated ecosystem for farmers through platforms such as Agristack, Mahavedh, MahaDBT and other digital systems to ensure easier access to services.

Alongside conventional measures to boost the sector, the budget has emphasised the use of artificial intelligence to assist farmers, particularly small and marginal ones, in adopting effective and sustainable farming practices with the aim of reducing cultivation costs.

According to Fadnavis, “Maharashtra is a leading state in the use of AI and digital farming. More than 30 lakh farmers are receiving accurate information on weather forecast, crop advice, and market prices through Maha Vistaar Platform. It turned out to be a digital companion for farmers.”

Under the Agristacks scheme aimed at facilitating transparent access to government schemes, the state has created 1.31 crore farmer IDs by February 2026. The scheme also includes tribal individual forest rights holders.

The government has also promised to increase capital investment in the agriculture sector between 2026 and 2030 under the Krishi Samruddhi Yojana. In addition, the budget proposes construction of 23,000 km of roads and bridges under the Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak Yojana to improve rural infrastructure and generate employment.

Fadnavis said that in the first phase of the scheme, 97 per cent of the works covering 30,000 km have been completed, while the remaining works are expected to be finished by March 2026. In the second phase, 2,450 km of roads have been completed and the remaining works are in progress.

The government has also fulfilled its 2024 election promise of providing free electricity to farmers using agricultural pumps up to 7.5 HP. The 2026-27 budget proposes an outlay of Rs 23,000 crore for the Mukhyamantri Baliraja Mofat Veej Yojana, under which Rs 32,756 crore had been disbursed until February 2026.

To ensure uninterrupted daytime electricity supply to farmers, the budget also proposes solar energy on demand for agricultural pumps. So far, 6.63 lakh solar agricultural pumps have been installed.

Emphasising water management, the Chief Minister also announced the establishment of a State Water Information Centre in Nashik at a cost of Rs 71.20 crore. The centre will provide digital, certified and online information on water resources.

The Wainganga–Nalganga river linking project has received administrative approval at a cost of Rs 94,968 crore. The project will divert 54 TMC of surplus water from the Vaitarna and Ulhas basins to the Godavari basin.

Administrative approval has also been granted for the Damanganga–Vaitarna–Godavari river linking project at a cost of Rs 13,497 crore. In addition, the Nar–Par–Girna river linking project worth Rs 7,465 crore has been approved.

The proposed Neera–Karha river linking project, once implemented, is expected to provide irrigation and drinking water to drought-prone areas of Baramati and Purandar talukas.

With support from the World Bank, the Maharashtra State Responsive Development Programme has also been approved for flood mitigation in Kolhapur and Sangli districts at a cost of Rs 2,240 crore.

Many of these river linking projects were originally envisaged during Fadnavis’s first tenure as Chief Minister between 2014 and 2019 and are aimed at addressing regional water imbalances and reducing drought conditions in the state.