Agrarian challenges and reduction

of farm distress in India

An agrarian society, or agricultural society, is any community
whose economy is based on producing and
maintaining crops and farmland. Another way to define an agrarian
society is by seeing how much of a nation's total production is
in agriculture. In an agrarian society, cultivating the land is the
primary source of wealth. Such a society may acknowledge other
means of livelihood and work habits but stresses the importance of
agriculture and farming. Agrarian societies have existed in various
parts of the world as far back as 10,000 years ago and continue to
exist today. They have been the most common form of socio-
economic organization for most of recorded human history. They
have created agricultural landscapes for their business and habitats for
their life.
 Agrarian Problems
Indian agriculture is plagued by several problems; some of
them are natural and some others are manmade.
1.Scarcity of capital Agriculture is an important industry and like all other
industries it also requires capital. The role of capital input is becoming
more and more important with the advancement of farm technology.
2. Inadequate transport: One of the main handicaps with Indian agriculture is
the lack of cheap and efficient means of transportation. Even at present
there are lakhs of villages which are not well connected with main roads or
with market centres.
3.Inadequate storage facilities Storage facilities in the rural areas are either
totally absent or grossly inadequate. Under such conditions the farmers are
compelled to sell their produce immediately after the harvest at the
prevailing market prices which are bound to be low. Such distress sale
deprives the farmers of their legitimate income.
4.Agricultural Marketing Agricultural marketing still continues to be in a bad shape in
rural India. In the absence of sound marketing facilities, the farmers have to depend
upon local traders and middlemen for the disposal of their farm produce which is sold
at throw-away price.
5.Small and fragmented land holdings-The seemingly abundance of net sown area of
141.2 million hectares and total cropped area of 189.7 million hectares (1999-2000)
pales into insignificance when we see that it is divided into economically unviable
small and scattered holdings.
6.Seeds-Seed is a critical and basic input for attaining higher crop yields and sustained
growth in agricultural production. Distribution of assured quality seed is as critical as
the production of such seeds. Unfortunately, good quality seeds are out of reach of the
majority of farmers, especially small and marginal farmers mainly because of
exorbitant prices of better seeds.
7.Manure,fertilizers and biocides-Indian soils have been used for growing crops over
thousands of years without caring much for replenishing. This has led to depletion
and exhaustion of soils resulting in their low productivity. The average yields of
almost all the crops are among t e lowest in the world. This is a serious problem
which can be solved by using more manures and fertilizers.
8.Irrigation-Although India is the second largest irrigated country of the world
after China, only one-third of the cropped area is under irrigation. Irrigation is
the most important agricultural input in a tropical monsoon country like India
where rainfall is uncertain, unreliable and erratic India cannot achieve sustained
progress in agriculture unless and until more than half of the cropped area is
brought under assured irrigation.
9.Lack of mechanisation-In spite of the large scale mechanisation of agriculture
in some parts of the country, most of the agricultural operations in larger parts
are carried on by human hand using simple and conventional tools and
implements like wooden plough, sickle, etc.
10.Soil erosion-Large tracts of fertile land
suffer from soil erosion by wind and water.
This area must be properly treated and
restored to its original fertility.
 Farm Distress
The underlying reasons for agrarian distress in India are-

1.Unviable agriculture caused by the low productivity-The main causes for low
productivity of agriculture are broadly of three types:-
a) Human Factors-Human factors are those which are related to training and efficiency of
the farmers.
b) Technical Factors-Technical Factors include techniques and methods of production
c) Institutional Factors-Institutional factors include land holdings and land system.
2. Unfavourable term of trade for agriculture-Terms of trade for most developing countries
are unfavourable. As a result, these countries receive low prices for their exports but
pay high prices for imports. This trend is another greater need for external debt.
3. Higher incidence of indebtedness among the farmers leading to unfortunate incidences
of farm suicides- The percentages of indebtedness among small farmers are relatively
lower than the marginal farmers
Causes of Rural Indebtednes-
a) Unproductive & wasteful expenditures of the loans.
b) Inherited debts.
 Plans and Schemes to increase income and
employment of farmers
The government has also prepared developmental and technological initiatives, and policies to double the farmers’
income by 2022–23. Some of the recent developmental initiatives of the central government to raise output
and reduce cost include:-

1.Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)- It aims at supporting sustainable

production in agriculture sector by way of –
a) Providing financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising out of
unforeseen events
b) Stabilizing the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming
c) Encouraging farmers to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices
d) Ensuring flow of credit to the agriculture sector; which will contribute to food security,
crop diversification
and enhancing growth and competitiveness
of agriculture sector besides protecting
farmers from production risks.
2.Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA):-It is an
umbrella scheme is aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers for
their produce as announced in the Union Budget for 2018.
The new Umbrella Scheme includes the mechanism of ensuring remunerative
prices to the farmers and is comprised of:-
a) Price Support Scheme (PSS)
b) Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS)
c) Pilot of Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme (PPPS).
3. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-Kisan
Yojana) :- It is a government scheme through which, all small and marginal
farmers will get up to Rs 6,000 per year as minimum income support. This
75,000-crore scheme aims to cover 125 million farmers, irrespective of the
size of their landholding in India.
The income support of Rs 6000 per annum is provided to all eligible farmer
families across the country in three equal installments of Rs 2,000 each every
four months. The scheme defines family as husband, wife and minor
children. The fund of Rs 2,000 is directly transferred to the bank accounts of
the farmers/farmer's family.
People who are eligible for this scheme are:-
a) Landholding farmers’ families with cultivable landholding in their names can
apply under this scheme
b) Farmers from both the urban and rural areas
c) Small and marginal farmers families
4. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana(PMKSY):- It is Launched on
1st July, 2015 with the motto of "Har Khet Ko Paani" and is being implemented to
expand cultivated area with assured irrigation, reduce wastage of water and improve
water use efficiency. PMKSY not only focuses on creating sources for assured
irrigation, but also creating protective irrigation by harnessing rain water at micro
level through "Jal Sanchay" and "Jal Sinchan". Micro irrigation is also incentivized
through subsidy to ensure "Per drop-More crop".
The broad objectives of PMKSY include:
a) Enhance the physical access of water on the farm and expand cultivable area under
assured irrigation (Har Khet Ko Pani).
b) Integration of water source, distribution and its efficient use, to make best use of water
through appropriate technologies and practices.
c) Improve on - farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage and increase availability
both in duration and extent.
d) Enhance the adoption of precision - irrigation and other water saving technologies
e) Enhance recharge of aquifers
and introduce sustainable water
conservation practices.
 Conclusion
Framers are the backbone of Indian society. The people of India
are engaged in variety of profession but agriculture is the main
occupation of India. In contrast, thoigh they are the backbone
of the economy still they are facing many problems. Although
farmers feed the entire nation, sometimes they can’t even
afford two square meals for their families
THANK YOU
A presentation by Panjali Shah, X-C