Agriculture in India

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Major crops in India: R India

Agriculture has a significant role in socio-economic fabric of India. Here Sikh farmers are deploying a tractor and cane
crusher to produce and distribute free cane juice on an Indian festival.

Several festivals relate to Agriculture in India. Holi - the festival of colours - is celebrated across north India as the
coming of spring. It is celebrated with bonfires, meeting friends and strangers, playful painting each other with
colours.

Farms in rural India. Most farms in India are small plots such as in this image.

A vegetable farm in Himachal Pradesh state.

Agriculture in India has a significant history. Today, India ranks second worldwide in farm
output. Agriculture and allied sectors likeforestry and fisheries accounted for 16.6% of the GDP in
2009, about 50% of the total workforce.[1][2] The economic contribution of agriculture to India's GDP is
steadily declining with the country's broad-based economic growth. Still, agriculture is
demographically the broadest economic sector and plays a significant role in the overall socioeconomic fabric of India.
Contents
[hide]

1 Overview

2 History
o

2.1 Agriculture and colonialism

2.2 Indian agriculture since 1947

3 Irrigation

4 Output

5 International comparisons

6 Problems
o

6.1 Infrastructure

6.2 Productivity

6.3 Farmer suicides

6.4 Diversion of agricultural land for non agricultural purpose

7 Initiatives

8 Maps

9 See also

10 Bibliography

11 References

12 External links

Overview[edit]
As Per the 2010 FAO world agriculture statistics, India is the world's largest producer of many
fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, majorspices, select fresh meats, select fibrous crops such as jute,
several staples such as millets and castor oil seed. India is the second largest producer
of wheat and rice, the world's major food staples.[3] India is also the world's second or third largest
producer of several dry fruits, agriculture-based textile raw materials, roots and tuber crops, pulses,
farmed fish, eggs, coconut, sugarcane and numerous vegetables. India ranked within the world's five
largest producers of over 80% of agricultural produce items, including many cash crops such
as coffeeand cotton, in 2010.[3] India is also one of the world's five largest producers of livestock
and poultry meat, with one of the fastest growth rates, as of 2011. [4]
One report from 2008 claimed India's population is growing faster than its ability to produce rice and
wheat.[5] Other recent studies claim India can easily feed its growing population, plus produce wheat
and rice for global exports, if it can reduce food staple spoilage, improve its infrastructure and raise
its farm productivity to those achieved by other developing countries such as Brazil and China.[6][7]
In fiscal year ending June 2011, with a normal monsoon season, Indian agriculture accomplished an
all-time record production of 85.9 million tonnes of wheat, a 6.4% increase from a year earlier. Rice
output in India also hit a new record at 95.3 million tonnes, a 7% increase from the year earlier.
[8]
Lentils and many other food staples production also increased year over year. Indian farmers, thus
produced about 71 kilograms of wheat and 80 kilograms of rice for every member of Indian
population in 2011. The per capita supply of rice every year in India is now higher than the per capita
consumption of rice every year in Japan.[9]
India exported around 2 million metric tonnes of wheat and 2.1 million metric tonnes of rice in 2011
to Africa, Nepal, Bangladesh and other regions around the world.[8]

Aquaculture and catch fishery is amongst the fastest growing industries in India. Between 1990 and
2010, Indian fish capture harvest doubled, while aquaculture harvest tripled. In 2008, India was the
world's sixth largest producer of marine and freshwater capture fisheries, and the second largest
aquaculture farmed fish producer. India exported 600,000 metric tonnes of fish products to nearly
half of all the world's countries.[10][11][12]
India has shown a steady average nationwide annual increase in the kilograms produced per
hectare for various agricultural items, over the last 60 years. These gains have come mainly from
India's green revolution, improving road and power generation infrastructure, knowledge of gains
and reforms.[13] Despite these recent accomplishments, agriculture in India has the potential for
major productivity and total output gains, because crop yields in India are still just 30% to 60% of the
best sustainable crop yields achievable in the farms of developed as well as other developing
countries.[14] Additionally, losses after harvest due to poor infrastructure and unorganised retail cause
India to experience some of the highest food losses in the world.[15][16]

History[edit]
Main article: History of agriculture in India
Vedic literature provides some of the earliest written record of agriculture in India. Rigveda hymns,
for example, describes plowing, fallowing, irrigation, fruit and vegetable cultivation. Other historical
evidence suggests rice and cotton were cultivated in the Indus Valley, and plowing patterns from
the Bronze Age have been excavated at Kalibangan in Rajasthan.[17] Bhumivargaha, another ancient
IndianSanskrit text, suggested to be 2500 years old, classifies agricultural land into twelve
categories: urvara (fertile), ushara (barren), maru (desert), aprahata (fallow), shadvala (grassy),
pankikala (muddy), jalaprayah (watery), kachchaha (land contiguous to water), sharkara (full of
pebbles and pieces of limestone), sharkaravati (sandy), nadimatruka (land watered from a river), and
devamatruka (rainfed). Some archaeologists believe rice was a domesticated crop along the banks
of the Indian river ganges in the sixth millennium BC. So were species of winter cereals (barley, oats,
and wheat) and legumes (lentil and chickpea) grown in Northwest India before the sixth millennium
BC. Other crops cultivated in India 3000 to 6000 years ago, include sesame, linseed, safflower,
mustards, castor, mung bean, black gram, horse gram, pigeonpea, field pea, grass pea (khesari),
fenugreek, cotton, jujube, grapes, dates, jackfruit, mango, mulberry, and black plum. Indian peasants
had also domesticated cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, pigs and horses thousands of years ago.
Some scientists claim agriculture in India was widespread in the Indian peninsula, some 30005000
years ago, well beyond the fertile plains of the north. For example, one study reports twelve sites in
the southern Indian states of Karnataka andAndhra Pradesh providing clear evidence of agriculture
of pulses (Vigna radiata and Macrotyloma uniflorum), millet-grasses (Brachiaria ramosa and Setaria
verticillata), wheats (Triticum dicoccum, Triticum durum/aestivum), barley (Hordeum
vulgare), hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), finger
millet (Eleusine coracana),cotton (Gossypium sp.), linseed (Linum sp.), as well as gathered fruits
of Ziziphus and two Cucurbitaceae.[18][19]
Some claim Indian agriculture began by 9000 BP as a result of early cultivation of plants, and
domestication of crops and animals.[20] Settled life soon followed with implements and techniques
being developed for agriculture.[21][22] Double monsoons led to two harvests being reaped in one year.
[23]
Indian products soon reached the world via existing trading networks and foreign crops were
introduced to India.[23][24] Plants and animalsconsidered essential to their survival by the Indians
came to be worshiped and venerated.[20]
The middle ages saw irrigation channels reach a new level of sophistication in India and Indian crops
affecting the economies of other regions of the world under Islamicpatronage.[25][26] Land and water
management systems were developed with an aim of providing uniform growth. [27][28] Despite some
stagnation during the later modern era the independent Republic of India was able to develop a
comprehensive agricultural programme.[29][30]

Agriculture and colonialism[edit]

Over 2500 years ago, Indian farmers had discovered and begun farming many spices
and sugarcane. It was in India, between the sixth and fourth centuries BC, that the Persians,
followed by the Greeks, discovered the famous reeds that produce honey without bees being
grown. These were locally called , pronounced as saccharum (). On their return journey,
the Macedonian soldiers carried the "honey bearing reeds," thus
spreading sugar and sugarcane agriculture.[31][32] People in India had also invented, by about 500 BC,
the process to produce sugar crystals. In the local language, these crystals were
called khanda (), which is the source of the word candy.[33]
Prior to 18th century, cultivation of sugar cane was largely confined to India. A few merchants began
to trade in sugar - a luxury and an expensive spice in Europe until the 18th century. Sugar became
widely popular in 18th-century Europe, then graduated to becoming a human necessity in the 19th
century all over the world. This evolution of taste and demand for sugar as an essential food
ingredient unleashed major economic and social changes. Sugarcane does not grow in cold, frostprone climate; therefore, tropical and semitropical colonies were sought. Sugarcane plantations, just
like cotton farms, became a major driver of large and forced human migrations in 19th century and
early 20th century - of people from Africa and from India, both in millions - influencing the ethnic mix,
political conflicts and cultural evolution of various Caribbean, South American, Indian Ocean and
Pacific island nations.[34][35] The history and past accomplishments of Indian agriculture thus
influenced, in part, colonialism, first slavery and then slavery-like indentured labor practices in the
new world, Caribbean wars and the world history in 18th and 19th centuries.[36][37][38][39][40]

Indian agriculture since 1947[edit]

Cotton flower in India. This is a cash crop in central India.

Over 50 years since its independence, India has made immense progress towards food security.
Indian population has tripled, but food-grain production more than quadrupled: there has thus been
substantial increase in available food-grain per capita.
Prior to the mid-1960s India relied on imports and food aid to meet domestic requirements. However,
two years of severe drought in 1965 and 1966 convinced India to reform its agricultural policy, and
that India could not rely on foreign aid and foreign imports for food security. India adopted significant
policy reforms focused on the goal of foodgrain self-sufficiency. This ushered in India's Green
Revolution. It began with the decision to adopt superior yielding, disease resistant wheat varieties in
combination with better farming knowledge to improve productivity. The Indian state of Punjab led
India's green revolution and earned itself the distinction of being the country's bread basket. [41]
The initial increase in production was centred on the irrigated areas of the Indian states
of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. With both the farmers and the government officials
focusing on farm productivity and knowledge transfer, India's total foodgrain production soared. A
hectare of Indian wheat farms that produced an average of 0.8 tonnes in 1948, produced 4.7 tonnes

of wheat in 1975 from the same land. Such rapid growths in farm productivity enabled India to
become self-sufficient by the 1970s. It also empowered the smallholder farmers to seek further
means to increase food staples produced per hectare. By 2000, Indian farms were adopting wheat
varieties capable of yielding 6 tonnes of wheat per hectare. [6][42]

Men and women at work in rice paddy fields in Tamil Nadu

With agricultural policy success in wheat, India's Green Revolution technology spread to rice.
However, since irrigation infrastructure was very poor, Indian farmer innovated with tube-wells, to
harvest ground water. When gains from the new technology reached their limits in the states of initial
adoption, the technology spread in the 1970s and 1980s to the states of eastern India
Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal. The lasting benefits of the improved seeds and new technology
extended principally to the irrigated areas which account for about one-third of the harvested crop
area. In the 1980s, Indian agriculture policy shifted to "evolution of a production pattern in line with
the demand pattern" leading to a shift in emphasis to other agricultural commodities like oilseed, fruit
and vegetables. Farmers began adopting improved methods and technologies in dairying, fisheries
and livestock, and meeting the diversified food needs of India's growing population. As with Rice, the
lasting benefits of improved seeds and improved farming technologies now largely depends on
whether India develops infrastructure such as irrigation network, flood control systems, reliable
electricity production capacity, all season rural and urban highways, cold storage to prevent food
spoilage, modern retail, and competitive buyers of produce from the Indian farmer. This is
increasingly the focus of Indian agriculture policy.
India's agricultural economy is undergoing structural changes. Between 1970 and 2011, the GDP
share of agriculture has fallen from 43 to 16%. This isn't because of reduced importance of
agriculture, or a consequence of agricultural policy. This is largely because of the rapid economic
growth in services, industrial output, and non-agricultural sectors in India between 2000 to 2010.
Agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan has played a vital role in the green revolution. Last year
(2013) NDTV awarded his 25 living legend of India for outstanding contribution to agriculture and
making India a food sovereign country.

Irrigation[edit]
Main article: Irrigation in India
Irrigation in India refers to the supply of water from Indian rivers, tanks, wells, canals and other
artificial projects for the purpose of cultivation and agricultural activities. In country such as India,
64% of cultivated land is dependent on monsoons.[1] The economic significance of irrigation in India
is namely, to reduce over dependence on monsoons, advanced agricultural productivity, bringing
more land under cultivation, reducing instability in output levels, creation of job opportunities,
electricity and transport facilities, control of floods and prevention of droughts. [43]

Output[edit]

Indian agriculture is diverse, ranging from impoverished farm villages to developed farms utilising modern agricultural
technologies. This image shows a farming community in a more prosperous part of India.

The changing face of Indian agriculture - formation of larger farms and adoption of wind power generation
technologies.

A panoramic view of a rice, cassava and banana farm in Kerala state.

A mustard farm in Rajasthan state.

Amul - an integrated dairy with milk processing plant in Gujarat state.

India has some of the world's best agricultural yields in its tea plantations. An tea estate in Kerala state.

As of 2011, India had a large and diverse agricultural sector, accounting, on average, for about 16%
of GDP and 10% of export earnings. India's arable land area of 159.7 million hectares (394.6 million
acres) is the second largest in the world, after the United States. Its gross irrigated crop area of 82.6
million hectares (215.6 million acres) is the largest in the world. India is among the top three global
producers of many crops, including wheat, rice, pulses, cotton, peanuts, fruits and vegetables.
Worldwide, as of 2011, India had the largest herds of buffalo and cattle, is the largest producer of
milk and has one of the largest and fastest growing poultry industries. [44]
The following table presents the twenty most important agricultural products in India, by economic
value, in 2009. Included in the table is the average productivity of India's farms for each produce. For
context and comparison, included is the average of the most productive farms in the world and name
of country where the most productive farms existed in 2010. The table suggests India has large
potential for further accomplishments from productivity increases, in increased agricultural output
and agricultural incomes.[45][46]
Agriculture in India, largest crops by economic value[47]

Economic
value

Unit price

Average yield,
India
(2010)

World's most productive

farms
(2010)[45]

Ran
Product
k

(2009 prices,
US$)

(US$ /
kilogram)

(tonnes per
hectare)[48]

(tonnes per
hectare)[49]

Country

$38.42 billion

0.27

3.3

10.8

Australia

Rice

Buffalo milk

$24.86 billion

0.4

1.7[50]

1.9[50]

Pakistan

Cow milk

$17.13 billion

0.31

1.2[50]

10.3[50]

Israel

Wheat

$12.14 billion

0.15

2.8

8.9

Netherland
s

Mangoes

$9 billion

0.6

6.3

40.6

Cape Verde

Sugar cane

$8.92 billion

0.03

66

125

Peru

Bananas

$8.38 billion

0.28

37.8

59.3

Indonesia

Cotton

$8.13 billion

1.43

1.6

4.6

Israel

Fresh
Vegetables

$5.97 billion

0.19

13.4

76.8

USA

10

Potatoes

$5.67 billion

0.15

19.9

44.3

USA

11

Tomatoes

$4.59 billion

0.37

19.3

524.9

Belgium

12

Buffalo meat

$4 billion

2.69

0.138[50]

0.424[50]

Thailand

13

Soyabean

$3.33 billion

0.26

1.1

3.7

Turkey

14

Onions

$3.17 billion

0.21

16.6

67.3

Ireland

15

Chicken Meat

$3.12 billion

0.64

10.6

20.2

Cyprus

16

Chick peas

$3.11 billion

0.4

0.9

2.8

China

17

Okra

$3.07 billion

0.35

7.6

23.9

Israel

18

Cattle Meat

$2.93 billion

0.83

13.8[51]

24.7[51]

Jordan

19

Eggs

$2.80 billion

2.7

0.1[50]

0.42[50]

Japan

20

Beans

$2.57 billion

0.42

1.1

5.5

Nicaragua

The Statistics Office of the Food and Agriculture Organisation reported that, per final numbers for
2009, India had grown to become the world's largest producer of the following agricultural products:
[52][53]

Fresh Fruit

Lemons and limes

Buffalo milk - whole, fresh

Castor oil seeds

Sunflower seeds

Sorghum

Millet

Spices

Okra

Jute

Beeswax

Bananas

Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas

Pulses

Indigenous Buffalo Meat

Fruit, tropical

Ginger

Chick peas

Areca nuts

Other Bastfibres

Pigeon peas

Papayas

Chillies and peppers, dry

Anise, badian, fennel, coriander

Goat milk, whole, fresh

Per final numbers for 2009, India is the world's second largest producer of the following agricultural
products:[52]

Wheat

Rice

Fresh vegetables

Sugar cane

Groundnuts, with shell

Lentils

Garlic

Cauliflowers and broccoli

Peas, green

Sesame seed

Cashew nuts, with shell

Silk-worm cocoons, reelable

Cow milk, whole, fresh

Tea

Potatoes

Onions

Cotton lint

Cottonseed

Eggplants (aubergines)

Nutmeg, mace and cardamoms

Indigenous Goat Meat

Cabbages and other brassicas

Pumpkins, squash and gourds

In 2009, India was the world's third largest producer of eggs, oranges, coconuts, tomatoes, peas and
beans.[52]
In addition to growth in total output, agriculture in India has shown an increase in average
agricultural output per hectare in last 60 years. The table below presents average farm productivity
in India over three farming years for some crops. Improving road and power generation
infrastructure, knowledge gains and reforms has allowed India to increase farm productivity between
40% to 500% over 40 years.[13] India's recent accomplishments in crop yields while being impressive,
are still just 30% to 60% of the best crop yields achievable in the farms of developed as well as other
developing countries. Additionally, despite these gains in farm productivity, losses after harvest due
to poor infrastructure and unorganised retail cause India to experience some of the highest food
losses in the world.
Agriculture productivity in India, growth in average yields from 1970 to 2010

Crop[13]

Rice

Average YIELD, 1970-1971

Average YIELD, 1990-1991

Average YIELD, 20102011

kilogram per hectare

kilogram per hectare

kilogram per hectare[54]

1123

1740

2240

Wheat

1307

2281

2938

Pulses

524

578

689

Oilseeds

579

771

1325

Sugarcane 48322

65395

68596

Tea

1182

1652

1669

Cotton

106

225

510

India and China are competing to establish the world record on rice yields. Yuan Longping of China
National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Centre, China, set a world record for rice yield in
2010 at 19 tonnes per hectare in a demonstration plot. In 2011, this record was surpassed by an
Indian farmer, Sumant Kumar, with 22.4 tonnes per hectare in Bihar, also in a demonstration plot.
Both these farmers claim to have employed newly developed rice breeds and System of Rice
Intensification (SRI), a recent innovation in rice farming. The claimed Chinese and Indian yields have
yet to be demonstrated on 7 hectare farm lots and that these are reproducible over two consecutive
years on the same farm.[55][56][57][58]

International comparisons[edit]
This section requires expansion.
(July 2014)

Agriculture economics comparison, 2007-2011

Region

Total farm
land (acres)

Annual
rainfall, mm

Average farm income

(US$ per acre per year)

India
Grains, Horticulture, Cash Crops

395 million

1058

306

USA - San Joaquin, California[59][60]

Horticulture

6.4 million

400

2174

USA - Kansas[61]
Wheat, Corn, Oil Seeds

47 million

701

539

Problems[edit]

A rural market in India - farmers with limited marketing options sell their surplus produce

India lacks cold storage, food packaging as well as safe and efficient rural transport system. This causes one of the
world's highest food spoilage rates, particularly during Indian monsoons and other adverse weather conditions. Food
travels to the Indian consumer through a slow and inefficient chain of traders. Indian consumers buy agricultural
produce in suburban markets known as 'sabzi mandi' such as one shown or from roadside vendors.

Indian agriculture includes a mix of traditional to modern farming techniques. In some parts of India, traditional use of
cattle to plough farms remains in use. Traditional farms have some of the lowest per capita productivities and farmer
incomes.

Since 2002, India has become the world's largest manufacturer of tractorswith 29% of world's output in 2013; it is also
the world's largest tractor market.[62][63] Above a tractor in use in north India.

"Slow agricultural growth is a concern for policymakers as some two-thirds of Indias people depend
on rural employment for a living. Current agricultural practices are neither economically nor
environmentally sustainable and India's yields for many agricultural commodities are low. Poorly
maintained irrigation systems and almost universal lack of good extension services are among the
factors responsible. Farmers' access to markets is hampered by poor roads, rudimentary market
infrastructure, and excessive regulation."
World Bank: "India Country Overview 2008"[64]
"With a population of just over 1.2 billion, India is the worlds largest democracy. In the past decade,
the country has witnessed accelerated economic growth, emerged as a global player with the
worlds fourth largest economy in purchasing power parity terms, and made progress towards
achieving most of the Millennium Development Goals. Indias integration into the global economy
has been accompanied by impressive economic growth that has brought significant economic and
social benefits to the country. Nevertheless, disparities in income and human development are on
the rise. Preliminary estimates suggest that in 2009-10 the combined all India poverty rate was 32 %
compared to 37% in 2004-05. Going forward, it will be essential for India to build a productive,
competitive, and diversified agricultural sector and facilitate rural, non-farm entrepreneurship and
employment. Encouraging policies that promote competition in agricultural marketing will ensure that
farmers receive better prices."
World Bank: "India Country Overview 2011"[7]
A 2003 analysis of Indias agricultural growth from 1970 to 2001 by the Food and Agriculture
Organisation identified systemic problems in Indian agriculture. For food staples, the annual growth
rate in production during the six-year segments 1970-76, 197682, 198288, 19881994, 19942000 were found to be respectively 2.5, 2.5, 3.0, 2.6, and 1.8% per annum. Corresponding analyses
for the index of total agricultural production show a similar pattern, with the growth rate for 19942000 attaining only 1.5% per annum.[65]

Infrastructure[edit]
India has very poor rural roads affecting timely supply of inputs and timely transfer of outputs from
Indian farms. Irrigation systems are inadequate leading to crop failures in some parts of the country
because of lack of water. In other areas regional floods, poor seed quality and inefficient farming
practices, lack of cold storage and harvest spoilage cause over 30% of farmer's produce going to
waste, lack oforganised retail and competing buyers thereby limiting Indian farmer's ability to sell the
surplus and commercial crops.
The Indian farmer receives just 10 to 23% of the price the Indian consumer pays for exactly the
same produce, the difference going to losses, inefficiencies and middlemen. Farmers in developed
economies of Europe and the United States, in contrast, receive 64 to 81%. [citation needed]

Productivity[edit]
Although India has attained self-sufficiency in food staples, the productivity of Indian farms is below
that of Brazil, the United States, France and other nations. Indian wheat farms, for example, produce
about a third of the wheat per hectare per year compared to farms in France. Rice productivity in
India was less than half that of China. Other staples productivity in India is similarly low. Indian total
factor productivitygrowth remains below 2% per annum; in contrast, China's total factor productivity
growths is about 6% per annum, even though China also has smallholding farmers. Several studies

suggest India could eradicate hunger and malnutrition within India, and be a major source of food for
the world by achieving productivity comparable with other countries. [citation needed]
By contrast Indian farms in some regions post the best yields, for sugarcane, cassava and tea crops.
[66]

Yields for various crops vary significantly between Indian states. Some Indian states produce two to
three times more grain per acre than in other Indian states. The table compares the statewide
average yields for a few major agricultural crops within India, for 2001-2002. [67]

Crop[67]

Average farm yield in

Bihar

Average farm yield in

Karnataka

Average farm yield in

Punjab

kilogram per hectare

kilogram per hectare

kilogram per hectare

Wheat

2020

unknown

3880

Rice

1370

2380

3130

Pulses

610

470

820

Oil seeds 620

680

1200

Sugarcan
45510
e

79560

65300

Crop yields for some farms within India are within 90% of the best achieved yields by farms in
developed countries such as the United States and in European Union. No single state of India is
best in every crop. Tamil Nadu achieved highest yields in rice and sugarcane,Haryana in wheat and
coarse grains, Karnataka in cotton, Bihar in pulses, while other states do well in horticulture,
aquaculture, flower and fruit plantations. These differences in agricultural productivity within India are
a function of local infrastructure, soil quality, micro-climates, local resources, farmer knowledge and
innovations.[67]
The Indian food distribution system is highly inefficient. Movement of agricultural produce within
India is heavily regulated, with inter-state and even inter-district restrictions on marketing and
movement of agricultural goods.[67]
One study suggests Indian agricultural policy should best focus on improving rural infrastructure
primarily in the form of irrigation and flood control infrastructure, knowledge transfer of better yielding
and more disease resistant seeds. Additionally, cold storage, hygienic food packaging and efficient
modern retail to reduce waste can improve output and rural incomes. [67]
The low productivity in India is a result of the following factors:

The average size of land holdings is very small (less than 2

hectares) and is subject to fragmentation due to land ceiling acts,
and in some cases, family disputes. Such small holdings are often
over-manned, resulting in disguised unemployment and low
productivity of labour. Some reports claim smallholder farming may
not be cause of poor productivity, since the productivity is higher in
China and many developing economies even though China
smallholder farmers constitute over 97% of its farming population.
[68]
Chinese smallholder farmer is able to rent his land to larger
farmers, China's organised retail and extensive Chinese highways
are able to provide the incentive and infrastructure necessary to its
farmers for sharp increases in farm productivity.

Adoption of modern agricultural practices and use of technology is

inadequate, hampered by ignorance of such practices, high costs
and impracticality in the case of small land holdings.

According to the World Bank, Indian Branch: Priorities for

Agriculture and Rural Development", India's large agricultural
subsidies are hampering productivity-enhancing investment.
Overregulation of agriculture has increased costs, price risks and
uncertainty. Government intervenes in labour, land, and credit
markets. India has inadequate infrastructure and services. [69] World
Bank also says that the allocation of water is inefficient,
unsustainable and inequitable. The irrigation infrastructure is
deteriorating.[69]The overuse of water is currently being covered by
over pumping aquifers, but as these are falling by foot of
groundwater each year, this is a limited resource.
[70]
TheIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a
report that food security may be a big problem in the region post
2030.[71]

Illiteracy, general socio-economic backwardness, slow progress in

implementing land reforms and inadequate or inefficient finance and
marketing services for farm produce.

Inconsistent government policy. Agricultural subsidies and taxes

often changed without notice for short term political ends.

Irrigation facilities are inadequate, as revealed by the fact that only

52.6% of the land was irrigated in 200304,[72] which result in
farmers still being dependent on rainfall, specifically
the Monsoon season. A good monsoon results in a robust growth
for the economy as a whole, while a poor monsoon leads to a
sluggish growth.[73] Farm credit is regulated by NABARD, which is
the statutory apex agent for rural development in the subcontinent.
At the same time overpumping made possible by subsidised electric
power is leading to an alarming drop in aquifer levels.[74][75][76]

A third of all food that is produced rots due to inefficient supply

chains and the use of the "Walmart model" to improve efficiency is
blocked by laws against foreign investment in the retail sector.[77]

Farmer suicides[edit]
Following the liberalising economic reforms of 1991 the government withdrew support from the
agricultural sector.[78] These reforms, along with other factors, led to a rise infarmer suicides. Various
studies identify the important factors as the withdrawal of government support, insufficient or risky
credit systems, the difficulty of farming semi-arid regions, poor agricultural income, absence of
alternative income opportunities, a downturn in the urban economy which forced non-farmers into
farming, and the absence of suitable counseling services.[79][80][81]

Diversion of agricultural land for non agricultural purpose [edit]

The National Policy for Farmers (2007) calls for the protection of productive farmland, allowin rezoning only in "exceptional circumstances". The 2013 draft National Land Utilisation Policy notes that
as food demands rise and less land is available for farming, it becomes even more important to
protect the remaining farms from development.[82] TheForeign Exchange Management Act (FEMA)
regulations prohibit foreign ownership of farmalnd. Real estate companies have been trying to
circumvent this rule,[83] since foreign ownership is permitted in urban areas. The Ministry of Urban
Development has formed a committee to investigate.[82]

Initiatives[edit]

Viticulture farms in Maharashtra.

Coffee farms in Tamil Nadu.

The required level of investment for the development of marketing, storage and cold storage
infrastructure is estimated to be huge. The government has not been able to implement various
schemes to raise investment in marketing infrastructure. Among these schemes areConstruction of
Rural Godowns, Market Research and Information Network, and Development / Strengthening
of Agricultural MarketingInfrastructure, Grading and Standardisation.[84]
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), established in 1905, was responsible for the search
leading to the "Indian Green Revolution" of the 1970s. The Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR) is the apex body in agriculture and related allied fields, including research and
education.[85] The Union Minister of Agriculture is the President of the ICAR. The Indian Agricultural

Statistics Research Institute develops new techniques for the design of agricultural experiments,
analyses data in agriculture, and specialises in statistical techniques for animal and plant breeding.
Recently Government of India has set up Farmers Commission to completely evaluate the
agriculture programme.[86] However the recommendations have had a mixed reception.
In November 2011, India announced major reforms in organised retail. These reforms would include
logistics and retail of agricultural produce. The reform announcement led to major political
controversy. The reforms were placed on hold by the Indian government in December 2011.
In the summer of 2012, the subsidised electricity for pumping, which has caused an alarming drop in
aquifer levels, put additional strain on the country's electrical grid due to a 19% drop in monsoon
rains, and may have helped contribute to a blackout across much of the country. In response the
state of Bihar offered farmers over $100 million in subsidised diesel to operate their pumps. [87]

Maps[edit]

Minor crop Areas in

India: P Pulses, SSugarcane, J Jute, Cn Coconut, C Cotton, andT Tea

Natural vegetation zones in India

See also[edit]
Agriculture and Agronomy portal

Animal husbandry in India

Retailing in India

Farming Systems in India

Fishing in India

Women in agriculture in India

Forestry in India

Rural roads and infrastructure in India

Irrigation in India

George A. Grierson (1885). Bihar Peasant Life. Bengal Secretariat

Press, Calcutta.

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External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Agriculture
in India.

Agarwal, Ankit (2011), "Theory of Optimum Utilisation of Resources

in agriculture during the Gupta Period", History Today 12, New
Delhi, ISSN 2249-748X.

State of Indian Agriculture 2011-12. New Delhi: Government of

India, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture and
Cooperation, March 2012

Indian Agriculture. U.S. Library of Congress.

Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of

Agriculture & Cooperation website

Indian Council for Agricultural Research Home Page.

Website of The Indian Farmers Association

Commodity Research, Food and Agribusiness, Commodity News

and Analysis (in English) (based in India)

Agriculture Commodity Market News - Agri Commodity News,

Rates, Daily Trading Prices, The Trade News Agency NNS - Daily
commodity prices of Agricultural and Agri based Commodities from
different Markets of India. Indian Agriculture Industry business to
business (b2b) News and Directory (in English) (based in India)

Principal crops of India and problems with Indian agriculture A

collection of statistics (from India Statistical Report, 2011) along with
sections of this Wikipedia article and YouTube videos.

Brighter Green Policy Paper: Veg or NonVeg, India at a

Crossroads A December 2011 policy paper analysing the forces
behind the rising consumption and production of meat, eggs, and
dairy products in India, and the effects on India's people,
environment, animals, and the global climate.

"India's farmers start to mechanize amid a labor shortage,

increasing productivity. - WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved
2013-10-30.
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