Women accounted for nearly 60% of the workforce in India's agricultural sector during the calendar year 2025, according to data cited by the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Ramnath Thakur. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Thakur stated that females constituted 59.8% of the total workforce engaged in agricultural activities during 2025 (January-December) across the country, as per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
Of the female workers in agriculture, 41.1% were engaged in the self-employed category during the same period, Thakur noted. The government's PM-KISAN scheme, which provides ₹6,000 per year to all eligible farmers through direct benefit transfer without gender discrimination, has significantly benefited women farmers, ensuring transparent and direct financial support to strengthen their income and participation in agriculture. A total of 2,18,66,774 women beneficiaries received benefits under the 23rd instalment of the scheme.
Crop Insurance and Land Use
Regarding crop insurance, Thakur stated that the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) provides comprehensive risk insurance against crop damage from pre-sowing to post-harvest for crops and areas notified by the concerned State government. During 2024-25, 21% of the farmers enrolled under the scheme were female.
On agricultural land use, Thakur, quoting the Land Use Statistics 2024-25, said the gross cropped area has expanded from 198.28 million hectares in 2014-15 to 225.19 million hectares in 2024-25. Cropping intensity has risen from 142.2% in 2014-15 to 159.7% in 2024-25, reflecting a positive shift toward multiple cropping practices and highlighting farmers’ enhanced ability to cultivate the same land more than once annually.
Research on Traditional Agriculture
To a separate question on the promotion of traditional agricultural produce and seeds, Thakur said the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) is implementing 13 dedicated research projects for characterisation, evaluation and utilisation of indigenous germ plasm, landraces and wild relatives in crops such as wheat, rice, maize, sesame, lentil, cucumber and tomato. The projects focus on agro-biodiversity, germ plasm evaluation, molecular breeding, genomics and genome editing for developing improved, climate resilient and disease-resistant crop varieties.
At ICAR-IARI, research on improving traditional Basmati varieties has led to the development of improved Pusa Basmati rice varieties that account for a dominant share of India’s Basmati exports. Two high yielding varieties — Pusa Narendra KN1 and Pusa CRD KN2 — have been released targeting specific Geographical Indication areas in eastern Uttar Pradesh, promising improved yield and non-lodging traits against the traditional landrace ‘Kalanamak’.
Tobacco Exports Surge
On the export of tobacco products, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said India is the second largest producer of tobacco in the world after China. Over the last 10 years, exports of tobacco and tobacco products have increased significantly:
| Metric | 10 Years Ago | Recent (2025-26) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantity | 240.93 million kg | 368.85 million kg | +53.10% |
| Value | ₹6,450.66 crore ($958.68 million) | ₹17,192.04 crore ($1,948.98 million) | +166.51% |
| Average price (FCV tobacco) | ₹134.43 per kg | ₹251.14 per kg | +86.82% |
Goyal noted that the average price realised by Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco farmers has increased from ₹134.43 per kg to ₹251.14 per kg over the past 10 years, an increase of 86.82%.
Implications for Commodity Markets
For commodity traders and agribusiness executives tracking Indian agricultural output, the data on workforce composition and policy support points to continuing structural shifts. The high female participation rate, combined with rising cropping intensity and expansion of gross cropped area, suggests potential for increased production of key crops such as rice, wheat, and maize. The development of improved Basmati varieties and high-yielding Kalanamak replacements strengthens India's competitive position in premium rice exports. Meanwhile, the robust growth in tobacco exports — particularly the price realisation for FCV tobacco — signals strong demand in global markets, reinforcing India's role as a major supplier. Analysts will watch upcoming PLFS releases and crop insurance enrolment figures for further indications of labour dynamics and risk management adoption.
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