Indian Agriculture : Achievement, Issues & Road Ahead

Agriculture continues to be vital sector of the Indian economy. With 16-17% contribution to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and providing employment more than 42% in 2019. The largest industries of the country like sugar, jute, textiles, food processing, milk, handlooms, etc dependent on agriculture for their raw materials. India has made remarkable strides in agricultural production since independence.

Achievements :

• With 11% of total global agriculture, India ranks second in the world in agriculture production.

• Leading producer of several commodities including food grains, cotton, cane, horticultural crops, dairy, poultry, aquaculture and spices.

• Agriculture production in 2019 was valued at USD 459 billion.

• The country's global trade in agriculture produce fetches more revenue that the services or even manufacturing.

• Agricultural GDP rose from USD 101 billion in 2001 to USD 459 billion in recent years showing remarkable growth and that too with substantial reduction in the workforce in agriculture.

• The current agricultural production has been ever increasing touching new heights -

Food grains 297 MT,

Horticulture 31 MT,

Cotton 37 million bales of 170 kg each,

Milk 188 MT, 

Fish 13 MT,

Poultry 4 MT and

103 billion egg production have been all records.

• India is not only self-sufficient but now planning for surplus management of agricultural produce.

Additional Read : Contract Farming

Issues :

• Recently, farmers of Punjab & Haryana protesting against three New farm Act, 2020.

• The growing population poses a challenge to food and nutritional securities.

• According to UNICEF, India was at 10 spot among countries with highest number of underweight children and at 17th position for highest number of stunted children in world in 2019.

• Increasing pressure on land due to rising urbanisation in India.

• Soil degradation : By use of more chemical fertilizers, mono cropping, high irrigation.

• More than 60% agricultural land depends on the Monsoon (rainfed area).

• The unprecedented change in the climatic conditions has posed a serious thread to crop, animals and fish productivity.

• Lack of digitisation of land records.

• The growing of Fragmented lands.

• Lack of coordination between Centre and State governments.

• Control on trading and processing of agricultural commodities block free movement of goods and impose stocking limits on private traders and processors.

• Canal systems are poor shape for lack of operations and maintenance outlay.

• The institutional issues like - Most of the States have yet not amended State Cooperative laws on the line of Model Cooperative Act.

Road Ahead :

1. Technology Innovation :

The innovation and development of technology could mitigate the effects of climate change, better the yields, reduce the effects of salinity, draught, flooding and biotic stresses etc. E.g. Genetic Technology for new breed of crops.

The CRISPR-Cas 9 Technology has been used to create a large number of crop varieties that are not only resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses but are also better in quality of produce.

2. Investment in Research and Development (R&D) :

R&D in India after independence has helped risen the per capita production and has gone a long way easing the pressure on meeting the food and nutritional requirement.

Investment in new generation technologies - which have direct implications in proper resource use efficiency, also in teaching and extension - need to be enhanced.

3. Policies :

The Government of India for the first time introduced the long pending reforms in agricultural marketing through the legislations of three major bills (Three New Farm Bills 2020). By these policies, farmers are freed from the designated markets and are free to sale their produce any where to get the maximum price. Introducing a competition in sale of produce, the farmers will be benefitted. The Contract Farming Act provide more benefits to farmers.

India has done a remarkable job in enhancing the agricultural production in nearly all the key areas. The country needs to step up production of many commodities by around  30% to feed the expected 1.7 billion people by 2050. Naturally strengthening research and development and innovations to create new technologies will be an important step for Indian agriculture as a road ahead. Simultaneously like the current reforms in farm produce marketing, series of policy changes needed to give emphasis on technology and skill-intensive agriculture. Suitable policy reforms will certainly act as the confidential building mechanism amongst all the stakeholders of agriculture.

Also Read : Types of Farming in India

References

PIB

NITI Aayog

E-book