Theme: Agriculture | Can India’s agriculture sector achieve 4-5% growth with improved conditions?

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast, businessline’s Subramani Ra Mancombu talks to Anand Ramanathan, Partner and Consumer, Products and Retail sector Leader, Deloitte India, about the agriculture sector's performance and expectations for the upcoming fiscal year.   With strong growth forecasted at 4-5% compared to the previous year's less than 1.5%, industry experts discuss how favourable weather, improved monsoons, and increased credit availability have bolstered the sector.   The conversation also covers important topics such as financial inclusion for farmers, the impact of direct benefit transfers, and the push for better infrastructure and market linkages to ensure efficient growth.   Ranganathan shares his insights on the need for more focus on new crops like millets and horticulture, as well as the potential for scaling up food processing capabilities in India to tap into global demand. The discussion also goes onto talk about the importance of farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and urban farming to increase consumption and improve efficiency in the sector.  As the government prepares for the next fiscal budget, Ranganathan offers recommendations on how budgetary allocations could further support agricultural growth, including higher financial support for farmers, improved crop varieties, and incentives for food processing businesses.   Host: Subramani Ra Mancombu; Producer: Amitha Rajkumar About the State of the Economy podcast  India’s economy has been hailed as a bright spot amid the general gloom that seems to have enveloped the rest of the world. But several sectors continue to stutter even as others seem set to fire on all cylinders.