About National Farmers’ Day
National Farmers' Day, or Kisan Diwas, is observed on 23 December, the birthday of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the peasant leader from Uttar Pradesh who drove land reform in the state and briefly served as Prime Minister in 1979. It honours the people who grow India's food. In 2026 it falls on Wednesday, 23 December 2026.
Chaudhary Charan Singh was the son of a farmer from Nurpur, near Meerut. He spent his political life on land, debt and the price of crops, and wrote books on agricultural economics. National Farmers' Day, Kisan Diwas, is kept on his birthday, 23 December.
What is the history of National Farmers' Day?
National Farmers' Day has been observed since 2001 on 23 December, the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, India's fifth Prime Minister and the country's best-known peasant leader. He was born on 23 December 1902, and the day honours his work for cultivators and, through him, the farmers of the country.
Kisan Diwas is not a public holiday. It is observed mainly by government departments, agricultural institutions, schools and farmers' organisations, and it carries a personal weight in western Uttar Pradesh, where Charan Singh's politics were rooted.
What did Chaudhary Charan Singh do for farmers?
Chaudhary Charan Singh fought for landholding peasants against zamindars and moneylenders. He was a lawyer and politician from western Uttar Pradesh who spent most of his career in state politics. He studied at Agra College, where he took a science degree, a master's and a law degree, and joined the freedom movement.
In Uttar Pradesh he was behind three laws that changed rural life. The Debt Redemption Bill of 1939 gave relief to indebted farmers. The Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, in force from 1952, ended the zamindari system and gave cultivators rights in the land they tilled. The Consolidation of Holdings Act of 1953 pulled scattered strips of land into workable plots.
- 1902Born in Nurpur
Born on 23 December in Nurpur, Meerut district, to a family of farmers.
- 1939Debt Redemption Bill
Moves a bill to relieve peasants from moneylenders' debt.
- 1952Zamindari abolished
The UP Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act comes into force.
- 1967Chief Minister
Leaves the Congress and becomes Uttar Pradesh's first non-Congress Chief Minister.
- 1979Prime Minister
Deputy PM from January; sworn in as PM on 28 July; resigns on 20 August, before facing Parliament, and stays caretaker until 14 January 1980.
- 1987Dies in New Delhi
Dies on 29 May; his memorial in Delhi is Kisan Ghat.
- 2024Bharat Ratna
Awarded India's highest civilian honour, posthumously, in February.
He is the only Prime Minister of India who never faced Parliament as Prime Minister. His legacy is carried by Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut and the international airport at Lucknow, which bears his name.
How is Kisan Diwas observed?
Kisan Diwas is observed with seminars, debates, workshops, exhibitions, quiz and essay competitions, and meetings with farmers. Tributes are paid to Charan Singh at Kisan Ghat, his memorial in Delhi.
The day is also a reminder of how much India still depends on farming. According to the Economic Survey 2025–26, agriculture and allied activities employ 46.1 per cent of the workforce but produce 15.2 per cent of nominal GDP, a gap that shows up in lower earnings per worker on the farm. Even the number of farmers is disputed: depending on the definition, official surveys count anywhere from about 3.7 crore to 11.8 crore. The central government's PM-KISAN scheme, announced in the interim budget of 1 February 2019, pays eligible farmers up to ₹6,000 a year in instalments.
Other countries honour farmers on their own days.
| Country | Farmers' Day | Why that date |
|---|---|---|
| India | 23 December | Birthday of Chaudhary Charan Singh |
| Ghana | First Friday of December | National Farmers' Day with awards to farmers and fishermen |
| Pakistan | 18 December | Kissan Day, first held in 2019 |
| Chile | 28 July | Agrarian reform and farmer unionisation laws of 1967 |
| Bolivia | 2 August | Agrarian Revolution Day, recalling the 1953 land reform |
What should you write on National Farmers' Day?
A Kisan Diwas message is best when it names the actual work: the early start, the monsoon worry, the harvest that came in, the price that didn't. For the farmer in your own family, a thank-you for the food on your plate and the fees they paid from a crop is worth more than a slogan.
Happy Kisan Diwas, Papa. Every exam fee, every train ticket to college came out of that field. I haven't forgotten.
Kisan Diwas ki shubhkamnayein, Dadaji. Sixty rabi seasons and you still check the sky before your tea.
Happy National Farmers' Day. Two years since you left the office for organic farming, and your tomatoes are better than any promotion.
On Kisan Diwas, a salute to the women who sow, weed, harvest and still keep the accounts. Farming in India runs on your work.
Happy National Farmers' Day. Every meal we eat at our desks began with someone up before dawn in a field.
Happy Kisan Diwas. Thank you for the seed that held up in last year's dry spell. Farmers noticed, even if no one told you.
Do
- Name a crop, a season or a place; it shows you know the work.
- Include women farmers, tenant farmers and farm labourers, who are often left out.
- Buy from a farmers' market or directly from growers, if you can, and say so.
Avoid
- Don't write in pity or describe farmers only as poor or suffering.
- Avoid political slogans about farm laws, loan waivers or parties in a greeting.
- Don't credit "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" to Charan Singh; it was Shastri's.
India's harvest festivals, such as Pongal, Makar Sankranti and Vaisakhi, are the farmers' own celebrations. The UN's World Food Day falls on 16 October.
How to wish someone on National Farmers’ Day
A Kisan Diwas message should thank farmers as people doing skilled, risky work, not as a symbol. Write to the farmer you actually know: a parent, a grandparent, a neighbour, a friend who left a city job to farm. Mention the season, the crop or the weather they are worrying about, avoid pity and political slogans, and remember that many of India's farmers are women.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is National Farmers’ Day in 2026 and 2027?
National Farmers’ Day is on 23 Dec every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
Why is National Farmers' Day celebrated on 23 December?
National Farmers' Day is celebrated on 23 December because it is the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the peasant leader and fifth Prime Minister of India, born in 1902. He is remembered for land reform and debt relief laws in Uttar Pradesh.
Who was Chaudhary Charan Singh?
Chaudhary Charan Singh was a farmers' leader from Uttar Pradesh who helped abolish the zamindari system in the state and served as Prime Minister from July 1979 to January 1980. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 2024.
When was Kisan Diwas first observed?
Kisan Diwas has been observed on 23 December since 2001, when Chaudhary Charan Singh's birthday was designated as National Farmers' Day.
Who gave the slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan"?
Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" in 1965, when he was Prime Minister. It is often shared on Kisan Diwas but was not coined by Chaudhary Charan Singh.
Did Charan Singh ever face Parliament as Prime Minister?
No. Charan Singh was sworn in as Prime Minister on 28 July 1979 and resigned on 20 August 1979 before seeking a vote of confidence, making him the only Prime Minister of India never to face Parliament. He remained caretaker until January 1980.
What is Kisan Ghat?
Kisan Ghat is the memorial to Chaudhary Charan Singh in New Delhi. Tributes are paid to him there on his birthday, 23 December, which is also National Farmers' Day.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .