Indian Government Agricultural Reforms

Introduction
India has nearly 18% of global population, which means every fifth person on earth is Indian. Since,
50% of of Indian population is involved in which means nearly every tenth person in the world is
involved in Indian agriculture. Which means Indian agriculture problems and distress is world’s
problem and distress. Indian government introduced three legislations to mitigate the problems of
Indian agriculture: The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act,
2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm
Services Act, 2020; Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
(India Population 2021 - StatisticsTimes.com, n.d.)
(“ANNUAL REPORT 2020-21,” n.d.)

Low yield
Low yield is one of the greatest problems India's agricultural industry is now facing. Compared to
industrialized countries, India's agriculture production is 30 to 50% lower.
Many reasons contribute to India's low agricultural output, including fragmented land ownership,
poor soil quality, insufficient irrigation infrastructure, limited adoption of modern technologies, a
lack of financing, limited market access, climate change, and insect and disease infestations. Small
and scattered land holdings make modern agricultural practices difficult to execute, while soil
degradation diminishes soil fertility, making high yields difficult to accomplish. Farmers frequently
confront market access and price issues owing to weak infrastructure, and access to loans and
modern technologies is restricted. Crop productivity is also affected by climate change and insect
infestations. (India: Issues and Priorities for Agriculture, 2012)

Below diagram depicts growth of Indian agriculture for ten year sample period.

(Analytical Reports, n.d.)

The 3 legislations which the government tried to introduce, was the solution to the problem to
market access and price issues. It did not solve the problems like water scarcity, climate change,
poor soil quality etc.
According to me, the solution to this problem is the introduction of contemporary technology such
as precision farming, automation, and genetically modified crops. Also, improving access to
financing and market links, as well as implementing improved irrigation and water management
methods and investing in research and development, may all assist boost agricultural output.

Middle-men and Mandis(market)

The problem of middlemen and mandis in Indian agriculture is that farmers often have to sell their
crops through intermediaries at government-regulated wholesale markets, called mandis. This
results in farmers receiving lower prices for their crops due to the presence of middlemen who
take a share of the profits. Additionally, the mandi system has limited competition, which can also
result in low prices for farmers. (Patnaik, 2019)
The above stated laws did resolve the problems but the government faced such a resistance from
the protesting farmers that it had to role back the legislations. The grounds for such a stiff
resistance was that the government failed to communicate its intention in correct manner. The
government must try to take all stakeholder in confidence before implement the law because it
will change the whole of Indian society forever.

Sector similar to Indian Agriculture: Fisheries

Problem: Overfishing, environmental deterioration, and a lack of infrastructure are among the
difficulties confronting India's fisheries sector. Overfishing has resulted in decreasing fish supplies
and lower catch per unit effort. Pollution and habitat loss, for example, have a negative impact on
fish numbers and productivity. The value addition and marketing potential of fishery products is
limited by a lack of infrastructure, notably inadequate cold storage and processing facilities.
(Inland Fisheries | Department of Fisheries, GoI, n.d.)
Solution: Blue Revolution Scheme: Promoting sustainable fishing techniques and limiting fishing
effort, investing in habitat restoration and pollution control measures, and developing
infrastructure such as cold storage, processing, and marketing facilities are some of the solutions
to the difficulties facing India's fisheries sector. Moreover, facilitating loans and encouraging
collective action through cooperatives might aid small and marginal fishermen in increasing
production and profitability.
(Ias, 2021)
 References

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-21. (n.d.). In https://agricoop.nic.in/Documents/annual-report-2020-

21.pdf.

Analytical Reports. (n.d.). PRS Legislative Research.

https://prsindia.org/policy/analytical-reports/state-agriculture-india

https://statisticstimes.com/demographics/country/india-population.php

Ias, P. (2021, January 7). Fisheries Sector, Steps Taken to Improve the Fisheries Sector, Blue
Revolution Scheme. PMF IAS. https://www.pmfias.com/fisheries/

India: Issues and Priorities for Agriculture. (2012, June 19). World Bank.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2012/05/17/india-agriculture-issues-priorities

Inland Fisheries | Department of Fisheries, GoI. (n.d.). https://www.dof.gov.in/inland-fisheries

Patnaik, I. (2019, February 22). Want to help farmers, remove middlemen? Scrap the law governing
agri markets. ThePrint. https://theprint.in/opinion/want-to-help-farmers-remove-middlemen-
scrap-the-law-governing-agri-markets/196348/