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Budget rightly priortises sustaining India's growth momentum: Experts
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Tuesday, 03 February, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
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The Union Budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 has identified six areas for an accelerated economic growth which include manufacturing, MSMEs, infrastructure, energy security and city economic regions.
Industry body FICCI welcomed the move and termed it a focussed Budget ensuring continuity and stability through sustained reforms with public capex push and decisive emphasis on manufacturing, MSMEs, agriculture and services.
FICCI, in a statement, said that presented amid heightened global uncertainties, the Budget rightly prioritises sustaining India’s growth momentum.
According to FICCI, MSMEs stand to benefit significantly from improved access to finance. The ?10,000 crore SME Growth Fund, enhanced allocation to the Self-Reliant India Fund, and strengthened liquidity support through the TReDS mechanism will provide much-needed financial depth to micro and small enterprises.
“The continued focus on agriculture and farmer incomes, particularly through targeted support for high-value crops in coastal and North-Eastern regions, is a welcome step. Dedicated programmes for coconut, cashew, cocoa, sandalwood, walnuts, almonds and pine nuts will help rejuvenate these sectors by improving productivity, enhancing exports and generating quality employment,” reads the FICCI statement.
FICCI also welcomed the measures announced to enhance ease of doing business and ease of compliance, including tax simplification, decriminalisation, tariff rationalisation and trade facilitation.
“The incentives and tax certainty measures aimed at attracting global capital are a strong positive and will further reinforce India’s position as a preferred destination for foreign investment,” said Anant Goenka, president, FICCI.
Abhay Parnerkar, CEO, Godrej Foods Ltd, while commenting on the Budget said that the Union Budget 2026 reflects a strong and welcome focus on strengthening India’s agri and animal husbandry ecosystem.
“The government’s push towards credit-linked support for animal husbandry, development of farmer producer organisations, and integrated approaches to improving farmer incomes will go a long way in reinforcing resilient, future-ready food value chains. Continued investment in agricultural infrastructure, innovation, and manufacturing capabilities not only empowers farmers but also enables food brands to deliver safe, nutritious, and responsibly produced food to Indian households. These measures signal a positive step towards building a more sustainable and inclusive food economy,” said Parnerkar.
Tarun Agrawal, co-founder & CEO, Healthy Master, on the Union Budget 2026–27 and its implications for the D2C and healthy snacking sector said that the Budget 2026 serves as a strong growth catalyst.
“The introduction of the ?10,000 crore MSME Growth Fund creates a vital liquidity avenue for startups looking to scale beyond the early stage. Furthermore, the special emphasis on natural farming supply chains and the reduction of compliance burdens for food processing units will help us source high-quality raw materials more efficiently. It is encouraging to see the government recognising the shift towards preventive health through diet, and these structural reforms will empower brands like ours to make healthy living more accessible to the masses,” said Agrawal.
Debarshi Dutta, co-founder & CEO, Ayekart, opined that this Budget sets a clear, outcome-oriented direction for Bharat by aligning technology, capital, and market access to strengthen farmers and MSMEs at scale and elaborated that the launch of Bharat-VISTAAR, integrating AgriStack with AI-enabled advisory, has the potential to support better farm-level decision-making, reduce risk, and improve productivity across diverse agro-ecologies.
“The renewed focus on high-value crops such as coconut, cocoa, cashew, sandalwood, and horticulture opens up meaningful opportunities to diversify cropping patterns and strengthen farm incomes. When combined with aggregation, post-harvest support, and better price discovery, these measures can translate into measurable gains in rural livelihoods,” said Dutta.
Sasikumar Kallanai, co-founder & CEO, TenderCuts, added that the Union Budget’s emphasis on productivity-led growth across agriculture and allied sectors, especially fisheries and animal husbandry, is a constructive step towards strengthening India’s domestic food and protein ecosystem.
“Initiatives around better utilisation of inland reservoirs, support for Fish FPOs and women-led groups, loan-linked capital subsidy for veterinary and para-veterinary infrastructure can improve supply consistency, traceability, and income stability at the source. The integration of AgriStack with AI-led dissemination of agricultural practices and stronger market linkages further strengthens this ecosystem," he said.
"For TenderCuts, these measures are aligned with the need to build a modern, sustainable, and inclusive meat and seafood supply chain that delivers quality to customers consistently,” said Kallanai.
Ekansh Garg, co-founder & CEO at Cravicious Foods, while commenting on the Union Budget said that it’s encouraging to see the Union Budget 2026–27 put the spotlight firmly on India’s food processing sector. Support for the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme, along with the proposed ?28,000 crore allocation over five years for flagship food processing initiatives, signals a serious push to modernise infrastructure, expand cold storage, and strengthen production and testing facilities.
“For companies like ours, this creates the foundation to grow responsibly, maintain high quality, and ensure compliance. Strong infrastructure not only helps reduce wastage but also enables brands to scale efficiently and deliver products that meet both domestic and global standards. This approach makes it clear that India is committed to becoming a global hub for clean, ready-to-cook, and frozen foods, giving businesses the confidence to innovate and bring better solutions to consumers everywhere," said Garg.
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