Agriculture: A Key Strength of India’s Economy
With 200 million hectares of arable land and leading global production in several major commodities, India alone accounts for 7.5% of global agricultural output. A strategic sector that contributes significantly to the country’s economic boom.
In the 2025–2026 fiscal year, India is set to become the world’s fourth-largest economy. With a Gross National Product estimated at $4.187 trillion by the International Monetary Fund, the Indian subcontinent will surpass Japan, positioning itself just behind the United States, China, and Germany, with the prospect of overtaking Germany by 2028 to claim third place.
At the heart of India’s economy remains agriculture, a sector that employs 40% of the country’s nearly 1.5 billion inhabitants. Boasting 200 million hectares of agricultural land - 140 million of which are cultivated - the Asian giant accounts for 7.5% of global agricultural output.
It is currently the world’s leading producer of pulses, milk, and spices, and the second-largest producer of wheat, cotton, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables, farmed fish, and tea. India’s agricultural leadership - as highlighted by data released this morning in New Delhi during the opening day of EIMA Agrimach India, the trade fair dedicated to agricultural machinery and technology organized by FICCI and FederUnacoma - can only be maintained and enhanced through the adoption of innovative technologies.
In recent years, India has become the country with the highest annual tractor sales. As of August this year, registrations had reached 615,000 units, and forecasts suggest the total will exceed 900,000 by year’s end, mostly low- and mid-power models. This figure is four times higher than the number of tractors registered in the United States.
Beyond tractors, Indian agriculture today requires a wide range of operating machinery and equipment for every type of fieldwork, an area of excellence for Italian manufacturers, who have long been committed to developing partnerships within the Asian country.
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The next edition of EIMA International was presented this afternoon in Zaragoza. Advanced technological solutions for every model of agriculture. Virtually the entire Bologna exhibition district is already booked. The conference programme also includes a Forum on the prospects of the EU–Mercosur trade agreements for the agriculture and agri-food sectors.
The 47th edition of EIMA was presented at Fieragricola in Verona. The agricultural machinery exhibition will take place in Bologna from 10 to 14 November 2026. Applications are increasing, new features planned for the layout of the outdoor demonstration areas. Some of the themes that will be addressed in the conference programme have already been defined – says Simona Rapastella – and these make the exhibition not only a business opportunity but also a venue for permanent training for professionals in agriculture and agromechanics.
The Italian market has turned positive driven mainly by public incentives, that are also expected to have a positive impact during the current year. However, purchases of second hand machinery remain too large, slowing down the renewal of the fleet. The domestic market accounts for 30% of the total sector’s turnover, while the largest share comes from exports. Tariffs, geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty are reducing Italian exports, which have fallen by an overall 4.8% and show a 34% deficit on the US market.
The 47th edition of the agricultural machinery exhibition, held at the Bologna Exhibition Centre from 10 to 14 November, gets off to a flying start. Requests for exhibition space already exceed the venue’s capacity. Technical and economic-political content – says Simona Rapastella – to “design” the new agriculture. Among the new features of this edition are the earlier opening on Tuesday and the closing on Saturday evening.