The Union Budget for 2026-27 was presented on February 1, 2026, by the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman. In agriculture, livestock and fisheries sectors seem to have got attention, given their important role in contributing to small farmer livelihoods. The larger focus remains on increasing farmer incomes by enhancing productivity and promoting entrepreneurship, particularly small and marginal farmers.
Within this, the emphasis on scaling up veterinary capacity in the country is an important move. In order to enhance the availability of veterinary professionals by more than 20,000, the Budget proposes the establishment of veterinary and paravet colleges, veterinary hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and breeding facilities in the private sector enabled through a loan-linked capital subsidy support scheme. This would also involve collaboration between Indian and foreign institutions. If done right and taken forward in the right direction, the enhanced veterinary capacity also has the potential to address the issue of diseases and antibiotic use in intensive food-animal production settings.
Many a times, the limited and timely availability of professional veterinary supervision becomes a reason for misuse and overuse of antibiotics in rearing livestock in commercial intensive farm settings, among others. Issues such as lack of right and timely disease diagnosis in food-animals, limited availability of or access to laboratories also adds to this concern. Antibiotics often come as an easy and quick remedy to preventing diseases altogether, which is not the ‘real prevention’, also contributing to the burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Improved availability of veterinarians on the ground would enable their timely access and guidance for farmers in preventing or treating diseases and also reducing the need or use of antibiotics. The recently released National Action Plan on AMR 2.0 also emphasises on strengthening capacity of professionals and paraprofessionals in all sectors, including animal husbandry and fisheries sectors.
Improved veterinary capacity can also help promote sustainable and rural and backyard poultry to improve livelihood of small-holders and local nutrition. CSE’s recent report on scaling up backyard and rural poultry systems has highlighted the importance of veterinary guidance for farmers rearing backyard and rural poultry on issues such as vaccination, bird health, mortality etc. Our research indicates there is limited availability of veterinarians and limited follow up support from chick distribution centres, as a result of which farmers struggle to manage diseases such as avian influenza and Ranikhet in rural areas. This affects bird care and health.
Moreover, there also lies scope to extend this into the fisheries sector, particularly in the freshwater fisheries sector where production is aimed more for domestic consumption and often, remains less prioritised when compared to brackishwater fisheries (wherein farming is largely meant for export, and where antibiotic use is quite well regulated and monitored). Building a cadre of fish vets and strengthening their capacity in the long run may therefore help ensure right guidance for fish farmers to effectively manage disease and reduce antibiotic misuse.