NEW DELHI, October 24 (Aalimi Nation) – The Centre has reached its target of creating 11 crore Farmer IDs, about five months before the March 31, 2027 deadline, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Saturday.
The target was set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chouhan said it was achieved on Friday night. He announced the milestone in a message that linked the effort to the Digital Agriculture Mission and to the transparent delivery of government schemes.
What the Farmer ID is
The Farmer ID is a unique digital identity for farmers, built on a verified database of cultivators. According to the Agriculture Ministry, it is meant to speed up access to government schemes, bank credit, crop insurance and disaster relief, while cutting the paperwork farmers face.
The ministry said the ID is being linked to the Kisan Credit Card, claims under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana crop insurance scheme, and procurement at Minimum Support Price. It argues that the system should reduce the role of intermediaries so that farmers receive the full value of their produce.
Chouhan said the system should reduce farmers' repeated trips to government offices and banks, and the need to submit the same documents again for different schemes. He also said a verified farmer database linked to agricultural services has helped reduce fraud and duplicate verification.
Benefits so far
According to the ministry, more than 6 crore farmers have already received direct benefits through the Farmer ID-based delivery system. The minister credited the Agriculture Ministry, state governments, Union Territory administrations, district officials and field-level staff for completing the task ahead of schedule.
Progress over the year
Official figures show steady progress through 2026. In February, the Union Agriculture Minister said more than 8.47 crore farmer identification cards had been issued. By April, the count stood at 9.25 crore IDs created across 19 states. The latest figure of 11 crore means that roughly 1.75 crore more IDs were created in the months since then.
Tenant farmers and the next phase
The ministry said states and Union Territories are taking steps, within the applicable rules, to bring tenant farmers and actual cultivators onto the digital platform. Many tenant farmers do not hold land records in their own names, which can make it harder for them to access credit and insurance. The ministry did not give specifics of those steps or a new target.
The announcement did not specify a timeline for further milestones. Farmer groups and state governments have not been quoted in the ministry's announcement, and independent verification of the count was not available at the time of publication.
For farmers, the practical test will be whether the ID translates into faster loans, quicker insurance settlements and smoother procurement at the village level, which the ministry says is the purpose of the exercise.
