New Delhi (ABC Live): Performance Audit of Farm Support Schemes 2025: The Government of India has shifted its approach from ad-hoc loan waivers to a multi-scheme architecture, providing structured support to farmers. Key schemes include Minimum Support Price (MSP), PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS), and the Agriculture
New Delhi (ABC Live): Performance Audit of Farm Support Schemes 2025: The Government of India has shifted its approach from ad-hoc loan waivers to a multi-scheme architecture, providing structured support to farmers. Key schemes include Minimum Support Price (MSP), PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS), and the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF).
This Performance Audit 2025 by ABC Live applies a CAG-style Key Performance Indicator (KPI) framework to assess each scheme on Coverage, Efficiency, Equity, and Impact. The audit blends data journalism, tabulation, and analytical interpretation, setting a benchmark for evidence-based evaluation of farm policies.
Minimum Support Price (MSP)
| Metric | Value (2024–25) |
|---|---|
| Procurement | 1,175 LMT |
| MSP Paid | ₹3.33 lakh crore |
| Farmers Benefitted | 1.84 crore |
Findings:
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MSP procurement remains regionally concentrated in Punjab, Haryana, and UP.
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Only ~12% of farmers benefit, showing limited coverage.
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While it ensures market stability, the scheme is fiscally heavy.
📌 Interpretation: MSP is politically sensitive but inequitable — it supports a minority of farmers at a very high cost.
PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Benefit per Farmer | ₹6,000 per year |
| Disbursed (2019–25) | ₹3.69 lakh crore |
| Beneficiaries | 11.8 crore farmers |
Findings:
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Universal for landowners but excludes tenants and landless labourers.
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Transparent via Aadhaar-linked DBT.
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Flat payment is small compared to rising input costs.
📌 Interpretation: PM-Kisan scores high on coverage and efficiency, but low on inclusivity.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Premium Paid (2016–25) | ₹35,753 crore |
| Claims Settled | ₹1.83 lakh crore |
| Claim Ratio | ~5x |
Findings:
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Farmers receive ₹5 for every ₹1 paid in premium.
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Adoption is strong in disaster-prone states, weak elsewhere.
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Delays in settlement reduce trust.
📌 Interpretation: PMFBY delivers strong income protection, but efficiency suffers due to delayed payouts and uneven state participation.
Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS)
| Year | Disbursement (₹ crore) |
|---|---|
| 2020–21 | 17,789.72 |
| 2021–22 | 21,476.93 |
| 2022–23 | 17,997.88 |
| 2023–24 | 14,251.92 |
| 2024–25 | 17,811.72 |
| Total | 89,328.17 |
Findings:
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Helps reduce interest costs on short-term loans.
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The benefits mainly Kisan Credit Card holders.
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Disbursement trends show a decline post-2021–22.
📌 Interpretation: MISS supports formal credit users but fails to address the credit exclusion problem among tenant farmers.
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
| Metric | Value (as of June 2025) |
|---|---|
| Sanctioned | ₹66,310 crore |
| Mobilized Investment | ₹1.07 lakh crore |
| Projects Sanctioned | 1,13,419 |
Breakdown of Projects:
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30,202 custom hiring centres
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22,827 processing units
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15,982 warehouses
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3,703 sorting & grading units
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2,454 cold storage projects
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38,251 other assets
Findings:
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High leverage (1.6x mobilisation) indicates private sector confidence.
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Benefits are indirect and long-term, unlike MSP or PM-Kisan.
📌 Interpretation: AIF is India’s forward-looking farm investment strategy, addressing post-harvest gaps, but with delayed returns for farmers.
Comparative KPI Scorecard
| Scheme | Coverage | Efficiency | Equity | Impact | Overall Score (1–5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSP | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 2.5 |
| PM-Kisan | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.78 |
| PMFBY | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| MISS | 3.0 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 3.05 |
| AIF | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.23 |
📌 Interpretation:
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Best Outreach: PM-Kisan.
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Best Risk Protection: PMFBY.
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Most Politically Sensitive but Unequal: MSP.
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Structural Investment Driver: AIF.
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Credit Cost Reducer: MISS.
Coverage Snapshot
| Scheme | Farmers Benefitted |
|---|---|
| MSP | 1.84 crore |
| PM-Kisan | 11.8 crore |
| PMFBY | ~6.5 crore |
| MISS | ~4.2 crore |
| AIF | Indirect beneficiaries |
📌 Interpretation: India’s farm support architecture is fragmented — no single scheme covers all farmers, but collectively they form a patchwork safety net.
Why ABC Live is Publishing This Report Now
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Rising fiscal burden on farm subsidies (>₹3 lakh crore annually).
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Climate shocks testing PMFBY and MSP systems.
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Election-year politics highlighting farm welfare.
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Global trade shifts are making domestic farm support strategically critical.
How This Report is Unique
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CAG-Style Audit Framework using KPIs.
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Data-Backed Unit Economics, like claim ratios, per-farmer benefits.
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Comparative Insights Across Schemes instead of standalone coverage.
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Equity Analysis — identifying regional/state skews.
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Global Context — comparing with China, the EU, US farm supports.
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Actionable “Five Fixes” for reform.
Editorial Value
ABC Live’s Performance Audit of Farm Support Schemes 2025 is not just a report on government spending — it is a systematic accountability exercise. It blends data journalism, audit methodology, and policy analysis to provide readers — from farmers to policymakers — with a transparent, verifiable, and actionable benchmark of India’s farm support system.
Sources
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Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare: agricoop.gov.in
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PM-Kisan Portal: pmkisan.gov.in
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PMFBY Portal: pmfby.gov.in
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Agriculture Infrastructure Fund: agriinfra.dac.gov.in
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CACP Reports: cacp.dacnet.nic.in
