Dr Soumya Swaminathan’s Chair of M S Swaminathan Research Foundation pre-Budget perspective argues for a long term fix towards structural investments that link farmer well-being, nutrition security and a stronger public health system.
On agriculture, Dr Swaminathan stresses that the budget must signal a decisive shift from food security to nutrition security. While India has largely succeeded in producing enough cereals, diets are still deficient in protein and micronutrients, especially among poorer households. Such diversification, Dr Swaminathan notes, cannot happen without reworking incentives. Current subsidies and procurement systems still favour rice and wheat. The budget, in her view, should lay out a medium-term roadmap that aligns procurement, minimum support prices and public distribution systems with nutrition goals. Millets and other climate-resilient traditional crops need end-to-end support, from seed development and assured procurement to processing infrastructure. Similar investments are required in horticulture, where inadequate storage and processing lead to massive wastage. Targeted budgetary allocations for rural processing and value-addition infrastructure could reduce losses, create jobs and raise farm incomes.
In the pre-Budget context, Dr Swaminathan also places high expectations on increased public investment in agricultural research and development. Funding, she argues, should not remain confined to central institutions alone. Greater allocations for decentralised, community-linked research that brings together farmers, start-ups, NGOs and academic institutions are the need of the hour. This can accelerate innovation and directly connect agriculture policy with public health outcomes, especially as lifestyle diseases continue to rise.
Another critical budget expectation relates to farmers’ welfare, particularly women farmers. With a majority of women lacking land titles, their access to credit and government schemes remains unequal. The budget, in her view, should address this gap through targeted incentives and implementation reforms that improve women’s ownership, recognition and access. She also calls for a renewed Farmers’ Well-being Commission to assess how farmers’ incomes, distress and livelihoods have evolved, and to recommend contemporary solutions.
On healthcare, Dr Swaminathan’s primary expectation is a decisive increase in public spending on primary healthcare. India remains far from its target of allocating 2.5 per cent of GDP to health, and within existing spending, the share going to primary care has declined. She argues that the budget must reverse this trend, as stronger primary healthcare can prevent disease, reduce the burden on expensive tertiary care and improve overall quality of life.
She also expects higher allocations for training health workers, strengthening supply chains and operationalising digital health systems so that data is used for district-level planning. With climate shocks becoming more frequent, investments in health system resilience are no longer optional. Finally, Dr Swaminathan expects reforms to strengthen health and food regulators, making them more science-driven, independent and capable of supporting innovation while ensuring safety.
Dr Swaminathan underlines a clear message that the coming budget must not be a routine fiscal exercise. By strengthening farm resilience, improving diets and reducing preventable health burdens, the budget can lay the foundation for higher incomes and a healthier workforce.
