Indian Agriculture

Agriculture is the most ancient occupation of human civilization. Through agriculture, the most basic needs of human beings, such as food, clothing, fuel, fodder for animals, etc., are fulfilled. Agriculture has developed as a multifaceted business, and many of its practical implications are evident, such as farming, horticulture, forestry, animal husbandry, etc. India is considered an important country from the point of view of agriculture. Two-thirds of its population is engaged in agriculture. Agriculture is the primary activity that produces most of our food grains. For example, tea, coffee, spices, etc. are also exported. The study of agriculture is done in the field of agricultural science, and the related subject of horticulture is studied in horticulture. As of 2007, about one-third of the world’s workforce was employed in agriculture. However, since the beginning of industrialization, the relative importance of agriculture has decreased, and in 2003, for the first time in history, the service sector overtook agriculture as an economic sector as it provided employment to the maximum number of people worldwide. Despite the fact that agriculture provides employment to more than a third of the world’s population, agricultural production is considered to be a major part of the gross world output. Agriculture plays an important role in the development of human civilization. The majority of the human population before the Industrial Revolution saw a steady increase in agricultural productivity and the widespread dissemination of these technologies during a time period often referred to as the Agricultural Revolution.

Importance of Agriculture in India
Agriculture is considered the backbone of the Indian economy. Where another is considered to be a major employment-producing sector. It also contributes significantly to the gross domestic product (GDP). About 60 percent of the country’s population depends on agriculture for their livelihood. The share of agriculture in simple domestic production is about 22 percent less. But these facts include India in the list of developing countries, in developed terms, where the percentage of agricultural participation in the GDP is lower and where a relatively smaller population is engaged in agricultural activities. For example, the share of agriculture in the national income of Britain and America is 2 percent and 3 percent, respectively. The GLT in agriculture and allied sectors is poised for growth and increases its contribution every year to the world food trade due to the immense potential for value addition, especially given the conditions within the food processing industry. The Indian food and grocery market is the largest segment in the world. In which retail sales account for 70%. The Indian food processing industry accounts for 32% of the country’s total food market, which is one of the largest industries in India and ranks fifth in terms of production, consumption, exports, and expected growth.
Exports of agricultural essentials grew by 43% to Rs 53,626 crore (Na 7.3 billion) for the April-September period of 2020 from Rs 37,397 crore (US$ 5.1 billion) in the same period last year.

1.Contribution to National Income: Agriculture and its related activities have always had a significant share of our national income. In recent years, the contribution of agriculture has gradually declined due to the growth of other industrial sectors in the country. Agriculture and allied activities contributed about 59 percent of the total national income in 1950–51. This number decreased to 40 percent in 1980–81, and later it came to 18 percent in 2008–09. But the share of agriculture in India is still very high compared to many developed countries in the world. Agriculture, for example, contributes only 3 percent to national income in the UK and the USA.
2. Source of Livelihood: More than two-thirds of the Laboure population in India is directly engaged in the agriculture sector. According to one estimate, about 7 percent of the working population is in agriculture, while it is estimated to be 2 to 3 percent in Ngay and N, and 6 percent in France.
3. Source of food supply: Agricultural products are considered to be the main source of food supply for the vast population of our country. According to some estimates, it meets about 60 percent of domestic consumption.
4. Role of agriculture for industrial development: There are many important industries in India, such as cotton, jute, textiles, sugar, food, oil, and plantation industries, that depend on the agricultural sector for the supply of their raw materials. These industries based on agriculture produce about 50 percent of the income in the manufacturing sector; similarly, agriculture helps in the industrial development of this country.
5. Commercial importance: Both the central and state governments of the country make important contributions in the field of agriculture. Other sectors, like railways and roadways, derive a good part of their income from the movement of agricultural goods.

Types of Agriculture in India
Agriculture is a prime industry in this country, and for the people here, agriculture is considered the main means of livelihood. About 54 percent of the population here depends on agriculture for its livelihood. A total of 15 agro-climatic regions are found in India. Due to the diversity of the total climate of India, all the crops grown in India are sub-tropical temperate.

Indian agriculture is divided into three crops based on the season.
1. Rabi crops The crops of the winter season are called Rabi crops. These crops require low temperatures at the time of sowing and a dry and weathered environment at the time of ripening. These crops are generally sown in October–November and harvested in March–April. Under this, major crops such as wheat, gramme, barley, peas, mustard, barley, potato, garlic, etc. are harvested.

Kharif Crops This crop is from the rainy season. These crops require high temperatures and humidity at the time of sowing and a favorable environment at the time of ripening. These crops are sown with the onset of the southwest monsoon. And September is harvested until October.
Under this, jowar, bazar, maize, moong, soybean, cowpea, groundnut, cotton, jute, sugarcane, tobacco, etc. happen.
Zayed crop It is a short-duration summer crop that is sown in March in the middle of Rabi and Kharif and taken till June. This year’s crops have a good ability to tolerate strong heat and strong winds. With the help of its irrigation, vegetables, melon, cucumber, and bitter gourd are cultivated, and moong, urad, kulthi, and pulse crops are grown. These crops are kept in two categories:

Types of Agriculture
1. Shifting agriculture: This agricultural practice is mainly used by tribal groups to grow tubers and leguminous crops. Agriculture is done for two-to-three years on the soil fertilized with the ash obtained by burning the vegetation of the wild or hilly area of the land. Due to the change of land after the soil becomes infertile, it is called shifting agriculture or jhum farming. It is called In some places, this agriculture is also locally known as Jhum in the North-Eastern states, Faid in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, Onam in Kerala, Beaver Mashan, Peda, and Bira in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and Balra in south-eastern Rajasthan. This type of agriculture is known by different names in different states.

Subsistence farming: This is a widely practiced farming technique that is seen all over India. The farmer and his family, with the help of human Laboure and animal power, produce food grains to meet domestic demand and for sale in the local market. In this type of agriculture, preference is given to food crops, and two or three crops are grown intensively in a year. In the form of subsistence agriculture, lack of irrigation facilities, drought and flood cover, advanced seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides are used less.
3. Intensive Agriculture: The practice of this type of agriculture is seen in densely populated areas in India. It is an attempt to maximize output through the maximum possible effort during a given time interval using capital and investment by making every possible effort. Normality: An area with a member intensity of more than 200 is considered an intensive agricultural area. In fact, in areas with high population density and limited availability of land, this farming is done with the maximum use of chemical fertilizers, improved seeds, pesticides, irrigation, crop rotation, etc.
Extensive Agriculture: This is the modern type of farming that is seen on a large scale in the developed world and in some parts of India. It relies heavily on machinery as opposed to a human labour force. In this backwardness, farming is done in a wide area by mechanical means. This type of agriculture is prevalent in areas or countries with a smaller population.
Commercial Agriculture: The goal of commercial agriculture is to produce a high-yielding crop so that the produce can be exported to other countries or sold for profit.
Wheat, cotton, sugarcane, tobacco, and maize are some of the commercial crops grown for cash sale in states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and Maharashtra.
Horticulture Agriculture: This agriculture is often used for such crops as rubber, tea, coffee, coconut, cocoa, spices, fruits, etc.
This type of agriculture requires a lot of capital and Laboure, so horticulture agriculture is mainly done by companies and corporate houses by taking large amounts of land on lease. Plantations are capable of producing only one crop.
Plantation agriculture is used in states like Kerala, Assam, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
Dry Land Farming: As the name suggests, farming is practiced on land in the dry and desert areas of the country, including northwestern and central India. Crops like Grama Tavar, bajra, and peas require less water and are hence grown in these conditions.
Wetland farming: Heavy monsoon rains and floods affect many areas of India. This type of cultivation is practiced in well-thought-out regions like Northeast India and the Western Ghats. Rice, jute, and sugarcane are suitable for this.
Subsistence agriculture: Subsistence agriculture is a major type of agriculture. In this type of agriculture, in the production of food grains, farmers do subsistence agriculture for the maintenance of their dependent families, and after consumption, they are not able to save enough grains to sell. This type of agriculture is called subsistence agriculture.
Mixed farming: When animal husbandry is also done along with the production of crops, it is called “mixed farming. When more than one crop is grown in one place at a time, it is called mixed cropping.

Main problems of Indian Agriculture

The main problems of Indian agriculture can be divided into three parts. Problems of Indian agriculture
Human Problems:
a. Population pressure on the land: The main reason behind the backwardness of Indian agriculture is that a lot of people depend on agriculture in our country. In 1901, the number of people dependent on agriculture was 16 crore to 30 lakh. Now it has increased to 38 crore, or 30 lakh. The effect of this was that the area of agricultural land per person in the country, which was 0.43 hectares in 1961, has now been reduced to 0.23 hectares. Now, due to the high pressure of population on the land, the problem of subdivision and fragmentation arises, due to which hidden unemployment increases.

b. Social environment: The social environment of the villages of India has also been a hindrance for agriculture. Indian farmers are still uneducated. Because of this, he is not able to acquire knowledge of new farming techniques easily. The Indian farmer is fatalistic, superstitious, and rigid. He is bound by the bonds of the caste system. This social environment in Indian villages proves to be a hindrance to agricultural development.

Institutional Problems:
a. Small size of farms: Most of the farms in India are small. The average size of Indian farms is 23 hectares. The average size of farms in Punjab is 3.77 hectares. 70: The size of the ploughs is less than 2 hectares. While the United States has 122 hectares. Farms in India are not only small, but due to fragmentation, a farmer’s field is located in many places.

b. Land Ownership System: The Zamindari system has been an important reason for the backwardness of Indian agriculture. Although, after independence, the Zamindari system has been abolished legally because the condition of tenancy is not satisfactory, Even today, the landlords do their arbitrary They removed the tenant as per their wish. Therefore, in such circumstances, the amount of increase in productivity expected from the farmers cannot be achieved.

Technical Problems:
a. Less Irrigation Facilities: India’s agriculture mostly depends on rain for water. Agriculture becomes precarious. That’s why Indian farming is also called the “Gamble of the Monsoon’. Even after the period of the schemes, only 34 percent of the land was managed with the means of irrigation. Due to a lack of irrigation, farmers can grow only one crop per year.

b. Old Agricultural Machinery: Till now, old-type machinery has been used in Indian agriculture. Even in this scientific age, ploughshares, hoes, scythes, etc. are used. The use of tractors and agricultural machinery is very low.

Old methods of farming: The method of farming in India is also old. The manipulation of crops is not implemented properly, due to which the production of agriculture is reduced to a great extent.

c.Lack of Manure: Manure is very important for good farming. But the farmers of India do not use the proper quantity of fertiliser. Dung manure, which is very useful and cheap, is made into a slurry and burned. Chemical fertilisers are expensive and have to be imported in large quantities from abroad. That’s why it does not meet the full cup in full quantity, and due to this, there is also a decrease in agricultural production.

Agriculture and Five-Year Plans
About Rs 23,500 crore has been spent on the development of agriculture in the country’s five-year plans. As a result, the production of food grains has doubled. The progress made in the field of agriculture in various five-year plans can be understood by the following:
1. First Plan (1951–56) During the period of this plan, Rs. 290 crore has been spent on the development of agriculture. The production of food grains has increased to 693 million metric tonnes.

Second plan (1961–65) During the period of this plan, 549 crore rupees were spent on the development of agriculture. The production of food grains increased to 823 million metric tonnes.
Third plan (1961–74) During the period of this plan, 1,089 crore rupees have been spent on agricultural development. But due to many reasons, the production of food grains was reduced to 723 lakh metric tonnes.
Fourth Plan (1969–74): Rs 2,320 crore was spent on the development of agriculture in the fourth plan. The production of food grains increased to 1,047 million metric tonnes.
Fifth Plan (1974–78): Rs 4,865 crore was spent on agricultural development in this plan. The production of food grains increased to 1,320 million metric tonnes.
Sixth Plan (1980–85): Rs 6,623 crore was spent on agricultural development in this plan. The production of food grains remained at 1,465 million metric tonnes.
Seventh Plan (1985–90): Rs 12,792 crore has been spent on the development of agriculture in this plan. The production of food grains remained at 1,760 million metric tonnes.
Eighth Plan (1992–97) In the Eighth Plan, Rs. 22,280 crores were earmarked for the development of agriculture, Rs. 35,263 crores for rural development, Rs. 6,837 crores for special regional programmes, and Rs. 33,280 crores for irrigation and flood control. In this way, agriculture has to be developed and diversified to spend 22 percent of the total expenditure on the agricultural sector and to produce more agricultural commodities for export. In this plan, a target was set to produce 2100 lakh metric tonnes of food grains, 2750 lakh metric tonnes of sugarcane, 140 lakh bales of cotton, and 95 lakh bales of jute, but in reality, there were 1924 lakh metric tonnes of cereals, 2830 lakh metric tonnes of sugarcane, and 131 lakh bales of cotton. Lakh bales and 89 lakh bales of jute production increased.
Ninth Plan (1997–2002): In the ninth plan, Rs 1,55,392 crore was spent on the agricultural sector, which includes agriculture development, irrigation, and rural development.
Tenth Plan (2002–2007): In this plan, a target was set to spend Rs 58,933 crore for agricultural development.
Eleventh Plan (2007–2012): The annual growth rate in this plan was 3.5%, while the target of 4% was kept.

Trend of area, production, and yield of major crops

Year	Food			Grains			Oilseeds
Year	Area	production	Yield	Area	production	Yield	Area	production	Yield
2005&06	43-66	19-36	2102	22-39	13-38	598	27-86	27-98	10004
2006&07	43-81	93-36	2131	23-19	14-20	612	26-51	24-29	916
2007&08	43-91	96-69	2202	23-63	14-76	625	26-69	29-76	1115
2008&09	45-54	99-18	2178	22-09	14-57	659	27-56	27-72	1006
2009&10	41-92	89-09	2125	23-28	14-66	630	25-96	24-80	958
2010&11	42-86	95-98	2239	26-40	18-24	691	27-22	34-48	1193
2011&12	44-01	105-30	2393	24-46	17-9	699	26-31	29-80	1133
2012&13	42-75	105-23	2393	23-26	18-24	789	26-48	30-94	1168
2013&14	44-14	106-65	2416	25-21	19-25	764	28-05	32-75	1168
2014&15	44-11	105-48	2391	23-55	17-15	728	25-60	27-51	1057
2015&16	43-50	104-41	2400	24-91	16-32	655	26-07	25-5	968
2016&17	43-99	109-70	2494	29-45	29-45	786	26-18	31-28	195
2017&18	43-77	127-76	2576	29-81	25-42	853	24-09	31-46	84
2018&19	44-16	116-48	2638	29-16	22-08	757	24-79	31-52	1271
2019&20	43-78	118-43	2705	29-34	23-15	817	27-04	33-42	1236

Source- Directorate of Economics and Statistics

Contribution of Agriculture to Gross Value Added

Year	Industry
Year	Agriculture Forestry Crop	Crops	Animal	Forest and wood	Fish and Agriculture
2005&06	1208285	796926	223793	137106	50467
2006&07	1243794	815268	237726	136275	54526
2007&08	1312283	871091	250633	133454	57105
2008&09	1309079	849407	269777	130713	59182
2009&10	1297556	822186	288777	130324	61269
2010&11	1411634	916216	304475	126279	68027
2011&12	501947	982151	327334	124436	68027
2012&13	1524288	9883809	344375	124743	71362
2013&14	1609198	1037060	363558	132093	764887
2014&15	1605715	998425	390449	134609	82232
2015&16	1616146	969344	419637	136960	90205
2016&17	1726064	1020258	461572	144547	99627
2017&18	1840023	1075111	497830	152351	114730
2018&19	1887145	1057785	539945	164330	125084
2019&20	1968571	10998586	677720	164894	126370

Source- NSO

Suggestion
Efforts have been made in the following directions to increase agricultural production and productivity in India:
1. Work of Land Reforms: Self-After independence, steps have been taken for the abolition of DPL, for the improvement of the conditions of the tenants, for setting the maximum limit on the land, and for the reconstruction of agriculture, although the success rate is very low. Have been meeting. Therefore, there is a need for the government to take effective steps for the effective implementation of land reform laws so that the land can be given to the tenant who actually cultivates it. Until this happens, the cultivator will not have the motivation to invest in land, and productivity will also be low.

Integrated management of land and water resources: Half of India’s total 32 crore 87 lakh hectares of land are victims of destruction. As a result of water logging, salinity, water erosion, etc., production and productivity have been affected more. Therefore, there is a need for coordinated management of land and water resources. Under this objective, a plan was prepared for the development of rain-dependent areas by the Planning Commission for the Tenth Plan. For the tenth plan, some efforts have been made by the government for watershed development, rain-dependent farming, and groups related to natural resource management and the treatment of land affected by destruction.
Use of improved seeds: Improved seeds can be helpful in increasing productivity. And the effectiveness of other agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, pesticides, irrigation, etc. mostly depends on the quality of the seed. It is estimated that the variety of seeds determines 20 to 25 percent of the productivity. Therefore, more and more farmers in more and more areas should be encouraged to use improved varieties of seeds. Keeping in mind the type of soil, climate, and availability of irrigation facilities, it is suggested which seeds would be suitable for the farmers’ land. Farmers should be educated and aware of the methods of seed implantation, fertilisation, and irrigation.
Fertilisers: High-quality seeds require a large amount of fertiliser. Agricultural scientists have estimated that Indian farmers apply only one-tenth of the amount of fertiliser required to maintain the productivity of the land. In addition, there is a wide variation in the use of fertilisers in different states. The use of fertilisers is very helpful in increasing production in agricultural states.
Irrigation: It is seen in the facilities of irrigation under the agriculture sector that in which states there are areas under irrigation, except Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, where irrigation facilities are spread more than the possible irrigation level. In all other states, there is a wide difference between the total irrigation potential and the existing level of irrigation. For example, the water resources in Bihar are so great that irrigation is spread over the gross agricultural land, which is further increased by increasing the intensity of crops. The elasticity of agricultural production towards irrigation increases in different states.
Electricity consumption: In the field of agriculture, the maximum consumption of electricity is in the states of Assam, Himachal Pradesh, and Jharkhand. And in Odisha, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Bihar, electricity consumption remains almost at a normal level. By increasing the supply of electricity in agriculture, irrigation facilities are further spread so that they can help increase production.
Cropping Intensity: The intensity of cropping and irrigation facilities has spread in the last few decades, and in most of the states, the level of cropping intensity is seen as low. For example, in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, more than one crop is grown on less than 0 percent of the area. It is known from this that there are more possibilities for increasing agricultural production through the mere expansion of areas under double cropping.
Better Technology: There is a lot of potential to increase agricultural production through the use of better technology. Based on the available information, it is clear that there is a wide difference between the level of productivity that can be achieved by the use of better technology on the farmers’ fields and the level of productivity that is actually being achieved. That’s why it is necessary that better technology be made available to farmers. For this, it is necessary to provide extension and information services on a large scale to the farmers.
Protection of plants: In India, every year, 10 to 30 percent of crop production is wasted due to insects, rats, and diseases. The Crop Care Foundation of India made an estimate that, as a result of pests and diseases, India loses agricultural production to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh crore per year. Most of the farmers do not have proper information about insecticides, medicines, and other medicines. Some farmers had definitely tried to use them, but their efforts could not be fruitful until the farmers around them also used medicines. Therefore, it is necessary that this programme be implemented at the government level. For this purpose, the government should get its employees to sprinkle medicines in the fields at a low cost.
Development of credit and marketing facilities The use of improved varieties of seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, agricultural machinery, and irrigation facilities requires a lot of financial resources, and these resources are often not available to small and marginal farmers. Therefore, it is necessary that the cooperative credit institutions be freed from the clutches of big farmers and be instructed to provide more loans to small and marginal farmers. Similar instructions need to be given to commercial banks and regional rural banks as well. Marketing institutions also need to be developed in such a way that they can provide better services to these farmers. There is also a need to encourage cooperative marketing institutions so that small and marginal farmers can get better prices for their crops.
Incentives to the growers: There is a need to provide such incentives to the growers that motivate them to achieve higher productivity. The motivations can be of the following types: strict adherence to land reform laws; timely availability of agricultural inputs; fair prices for crops; insurance of crops so that the farmer does not suffer loss even if the crop fails; high productivity; rewarding farmers; etc.
Better Management: Just as better management is required in industry to increase productivity, in the same way, better management is also necessary to increase agricultural productivity. This will be possible only when farmers are trained to make better use of land irrigation facilities and agricultural equipment. Along with this, there is a need to spread science and technology in the agriculture sector.
Agricultural Research: At present, the work of agricultural research is being done by the Indian Council of Agriculture Reserve, various agricultural universities, and other specialised institutions. As a result of this research, high-yielding seeds for various crops have been developed. But right now, success has been achieved only in the field of wheat. A lot of research is still needed for other crops. Along with this, research needs to be done in various regional laboratories to know the type of land, for land conservation, to make better use of agricultural machinery, and to find medicines to prevent various diseases.