Nagpur, Feb 1 (PTI) Veteran farm activist Kishore Tiwari hailed provisions to boost agricultural productivity in the Union Budget for 2025-26 presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday.

The former chairperson of Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swavlamban Mission said the introduction of cotton mission to enhance productivity and promotion of pulses and oilseeds in mission mode will greatly help the farm sector.

He also praised the 'Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana', which aims to cover 100 districts with low yields, modern crop intensity and below-average credit parameters.

"The six-year programme for self reliance in pulses with special focus on tur, urad and masoor and the comprehensive programme for raising vegetable and fruit production are very good moves. The decision to enhance limit of Kisan Credit Card from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh will restore the credit cycle," Tiwari said.

Reforms in six domains, namely taxation, urban development, mining, financial sector, power and regulatory reforms are praiseworthy, he added. PTI CLS BNM

Agricultural productivity measures expand mission-mode programmes and increase farm credit limits to support low-yield districts. Budget measures adopt mission-mode initiatives to raise agricultural productivity, including a cotton mission, mission-mode promotion of pulses and oilseeds, a six-year self-reliance programme for pulses with focus on tur, urad and masoor, and a comprehensive vegetable and fruit production programme. The Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana targets one hundred low-yield districts with weak credit parameters, while an enhanced Kisan Credit Card limit aims to restore the agricultural credit cycle alongside broader sectoral reforms.