Centre issues 11 crore farmer IDs under AgriStack, 26% are women

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The Farmer ID initiative is designed to provide farmers with a unique digital identity, enabling transparent, efficient and timely access to government schemes, bank credit, crop insurance and disaster relief, while reducing paperwork and repeated verification, the agriculture ministry said in a statement

By Prabhudatta Mishra

Updated - October 24, 2026 at 08:57 PM. | New Delhi

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan | Photo Credit: ANI

The Centre has created 11 crore unique 11-digit farmer IDs, or Kisan Pehchaan Patra, under the AgriStack framework, five months ahead of the March 2027 deadline. Describing the achievement as a significant step towards realising the vision of a developed India with prosperous farmers, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the milestone has been achieved under the Digital Agriculture Mission.

The Farmer ID initiative is designed to provide farmers with a unique digital identity, enabling transparent, efficient and timely access to government schemes, bank credit, crop insurance and disaster relief, while reducing paperwork and repeated verification, the agriculture ministry said in a statement.

From approximately 30 lakh farmer IDs by December 2024, registration accelerated rapidly to 7.8 crore by December 2025, official sources said. The Farmer Registry also reflects the diversity of Indian agriculture — 26 per cent of registered farmers are women while about 81 per cent belong to marginal and small operational-holding categories (less than 5 hectare).

Also out of 11 crore registered farmers, around 15 per cent are over 70 years old while only 7.5 per cent are below 30 years old category. It means as many as 77.5 per cent farmers are in the age group of 30-70 years.

Officials said that nearly 29,000 tenants and sharecroppers have been issued farmer IDs in Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Assam as per the State’s own mechanism for identification of cultivators. Besides, 3.14 lakh Forest Rights holders have been issued farmer IDs in Assam, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura.

In a video message, Chouhan said: “The task of creating 11 crore Farmer IDs has been completed ahead of schedule...There will no longer be a need to repeatedly submit piles of paperwork or provide endless documentation.”

According to the minister, the ID will be the only document a farmer needs to access bank loans, crop insurance, disaster relief and to sell produce to government agencies who buy crops at Minimum Support Price (MSPs). The Farmer ID system would significantly reduce the need for farmers to repeatedly visit government offices and banks or submit the same documents for different schemes, he added.

The Ministry said that the initiative is intended to strengthen transparency and accountability in agricultural service delivery, ensuring that eligible farmers can access government support with fewer procedural hurdles. More than 6 crore farmers have already received benefits since it was launched in 2024.

Published on October 24, 2026

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