The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare (MoA&FW) is an institution and the apex branch of the Government of India responsible for formulating and administering policies, rules, and laws related to agriculture. Its origins trace back to the establishment of the Department of Revenue, Agriculture, and Commerce in June 1871 during the British era. Post-independence, the Department of Agriculture was redesignated as the Ministry of Agriculture in August 1947.
The Ministry was renamed the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare on August 15, 2015, to shift the focus from merely agricultural production to the holistic welfare of the farming community. This change reflected a commitment to address the personal problems and needs of farmers.
The Ministry works through its constituent departments, primarily the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) and the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE). Its mechanism involves implementing flagship schemes like the direct income support program, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), and the crop insurance scheme, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), which was launched in 2016. It also facilitates market access through the digital platform National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), also launched in 2016, and supports post-harvest infrastructure via the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), launched in 2020.
The MoA&FW connects to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), an autonomous body under DARE that coordinates agricultural research and education. An informed reader should know that agriculture is a State Subject under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, meaning the Ministry supports states through policy and budgetary allocations. Furthermore, its mandate aligns with the Directive Principles of State Policy, specifically Article 48, which relates to the organization of agriculture and animal husbandry.