Parliament Question: Participation and empowerment of women in agriculture

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3228 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20/03/2026 PARTICIPATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE 3228. SHRI I.S INBADURAI: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE be pleased to state: (a) the estimated percentage of women engaged in agricultural activities across the country and whether updated gender-disaggregated data is maintained, if so, the details thereof; (b) whether specific schemes exist to support women farmers through access to credit, inputs, training and market linkages, if so, the details thereof scheme-wise and number of beneficiaries; (c) whether steps are being taken to recognise women cultivators as farmers for purposes of land records, institutional credit and insurance benefits, if so, the progress achieved thereof; and (d) whether training and capacity-building programmes have been implemented to enhance technical and entrepreneurial skills of women engaged in agriculture? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR) (a): The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO), MoSPI, female covers 64.4 percent of the total workforce engaged in the agricultural activities during 2023-24 across the country is given at Annexure I. (b) & (c): Under Kisan Credit Card Scheme, as per Priority Sector Lending (PSL) regulation, government has mandated that banks will provide 18% of their total loans to agriculture and allied sector. Number of female account holders who have accessed agricultural credit under the Kisan Credit Card linked Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) for affordable credit are around 22%. State wise details of such female farmers for the last three years as reported by banks on Kisan Rin Portal (KRP) is given at Annexure II. Under Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM), subsidy is provided for (i) Storage Infrastructure, and (ii) Marketing Infrastructure other than storage, to the eligible beneficiaries include Individuals, Group of farmers/growers, Self Help Group (SHG), Cooperative Marketing Federation etc. In order to promote women farmers and entrepreneurs including women Self Help Groups (SHGs), assistance in the form of subsidy is provided to all the women beneficiaries at a higher rate i.e. @33.33% instead of 25%. Since inception of the Scheme till 31.12.2025, 11,320 Women beneficiaries have been assisted for Storage and other than Storage Infrastructure projects.Under the Formation and Promotion of 10,000 FPOs scheme, special provisions have been made to empower women by providing special focus to include women farmers/women Self Help Groups (SHGs) as members to make FPOs more effective and inclusive. Under 10,000 FPOs Scheme, out of 56.32 lakh shareholders, 21.96 lakh are women farmers as on 31st December 2025. Department of land resources, Ministry of Rural Development has addressed all state to introduce a column for Gender in the Record of Rights. This step will help to know the number of women land owners. As per the Agriculture Census 2015-16 conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, out of 14,64,53,741 total operational holdings, 2,04,39,148 operational holdings were held by female operational holdings. This indicates that female farmers accounted for around 13.9 percent of the total number of operational holdings in the country. (d): Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) Scheme supports State Government's efforts and to make available latest agricultural technologies and good agricultural practices in different thematic areas of agriculture and allied sectors to farmers including women farmers through different extension activities viz; Farmers Training, Demonstrations, Exposure Visits, Kisan Mela, Mobilization of famers groups and organizing Farm Schools. The Government is implementing Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) scheme and ICAR- Central Institute for Women in Agriculture (ICAR-CIWA) to promote adoption of new technologies of agriculture and allied sectors through technology assessment, demonstration and capacity development among the extension functionaries of state governments and farmers including farm women. Under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) programme, as part of farm sector livelihoods strategy, have the objective to empower SHG members as Mahila Kisan through adoption of sustainable practices i.e., Agro Ecological Practices, Enhanced Livestock Management practices, scientific cultivation/collection of Non- Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) etc. The Government through Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institutes (FMTTIs) imparting training to women farmers/Technicians/Engineers/ Unemployed youths/ Machinery manufacturers, etc. under various training programmes on latest technology of farm mechanization.Annexure-I Percentage of working female in agriculture and allied sector as per PLFS 2023-24. State/UT Percentage of female in agriculture sector* Andhra Pradesh 56.50 Arunachal Pradesh 75.75 Assam 74.73 Bihar 82.06 Chhattisgarh 77.04 Delhi 0.02 Goa 12.27 Gujarat 61.13 Haryana 45.94 Himachal Pradesh 78.45 Jharkhand 76.57 Karnataka 58.38 Kerala 36.38 Madhya Pradesh 76.77 Maharashtra 59.03 Manipur 46.23 Meghalaya 58.83 Mizoram 50.60 Nagaland 60.60 Odisha 69.50 Punjab 33.97 Rajasthan 74.25 Sikkim 61.13 Tamil Nadu 38.63 Telangana 53.08 Tripura 58.62 Uttarakhand 67.98 Uttar Pradesh 81.83 West Bengal 50.76 Andaman & N. Island 39.02 Chandigarh 0.00 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 50.85 Jammu & Kashmir 77.76 Ladakh 71.75 Lakshadweep 2.64 Puducherry 13.31 All India 64.36 *Agriculture sector - women engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and forestry.Annexure-II Number of female farmers that have been able to access Agri Credit under KCC-MISS Scheme for the last three Scheme years. SY* 2022-23 SY* 2023-24 SY* 2024-25 (Provisional) State wise No. of female No. of female No. of female Andaman & Nicobar Islands 268 353 205 Andhra Pradesh 1177734 1337910 1322539 Arunachal Pradesh 1432 2032 3297 Assam 29358 31739 37226 Bihar 72184 106206 55728 Chandigarh 38 52 52 Chhattisgarh 213347 246216 246060 Delhi 148 174 148 Goa 1455 1706 1440 Gujarat 318925 366601 372606 Haryana 166495 183930 199946 Himachal Pradesh 45363 59302 70477 Jammu And Kashmir 65334 70345 67902 Jharkhand 93108 93499 97561 Karnataka 859981 960402 1052362 Kerala 801917 1117833 1091722 Ladakh 3723 3679 3887 Lakshadweep 237 402 686 Madhya Pradesh 497628 566841 450072 Maharashtra 893988 978850 736878 Manipur 3007 3372 3779 Meghalaya 8069 9909 20226 Mizoram 5507 6494 13030 Nagaland 10983 14037 14816 Odisha 406822 458607 492999 Puducherry 3843 15429 8624 Punjab 236680 279980 234746 Rajasthan 800080 950955 992899 Sikkim 643 1149 1207 Tamil Nadu 781501 1154461 1239534 Telangana 801556 1096403 1308249 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 175 161 121 Tripura 7806 6844 7418 Uttar Pradesh 543749 759622 406439 Uttarakhand 29325 35311 34424 West Bengal 252998 248169 253584 Grand Total 9135407 11168975 10842889 *SY-Scheme years. *****