MUMBAI: Natural calamities and other factors significantly affected Maharashtra’s agricultural growth in 2025-26, resulting in a massive decline in the growth rate from 9.1% in 2024-25 to 3.4% in 2025-26 according to the state’s Economic Survey presented before the state legislature on Thursday. Compared to last year, foodgrain production grew by only 1.6%, while oilseed production showed a massive decline of 47.4%.
Along with the impact of heavy rains and floods during the kharif season, market prices and export limitations affected Maharashtra’s agricultural growth. Despite a 3% increase in the area under foodgrain cultivation during the kharif season, production increased only marginally by 1.6% on account of crop loss—from 9,551,000 metric tons in 2024-25 to 9,703,000 metric tons in 2025-26. However, oilseeds registered a massive slowdown, going from last year’s production of 9,668,000 metric tons to 5,087,000 metric tons, a decline of 47.4%.
This decline was on account of reduced production of oilseeds such as soyabean, groundnut, sunflower and sesame, which went down by 48.1%, 17.1%, 24.4% and 21.8% respectively compared to last year. Kharif pulse production also decreased by 28.2%. In the rabi season, foodgrain production is likely to increase by 28.8% compared to last year but oilseed production is estimated to decline by 16.2%.
In the agriculture-allied sectors, specifically animal husbandry, Maharashtra ranks third in the country in meat production, with an 11.6% share, and fifth in the country in milk production with a 6.7% share.
In the fisheries sector, marine fish production was 4.63 lakh metric tonnes in 2024-25 while inland fish production was 2.69 lakh metric tonnes. By December 2025, marine production stood at 2.93 lakh metric tonnes and inland production at 1.47 lakh metric tonnes. While export data for the current year is not yet available, last year, 2.23 lakh metric tonnes of fish worth ₹7,343 crore were exported.