Introduction to Indian

Agriculture
 Agriculture situation in India
• India is a land of many climates and variety of soils affording scope
for diversity of agriculture. Climate (main components of which are
water, air and sunshine) is the single most important factor in crop
production and determines the appropriate timing for important
agricultural operations like:
• Sowing
• Transplanting
• Irrigation
• Fertiliser application and use of pesticides
• That’s why agriculture in India is often called “gamble with
monsoon”. Certain varieties of soils are suited best for certain crops
and hence knowledge of soil variety is important in identifying crops,
which can produce good yields.
 Risks to agriculture
• The major risks to which crops are exposed during growth are:
• Adverse climatic occurrences like drought, dry-spell, flood,
untimely /inadequate / excessive rainfall, thunderstorm,
hailstorm, cyclone, coldwave, frost, etc.
• Pests
• Plant diseases and weeds
• Wild animals
• It has been estimated that, on an average, 20% of the annual
crop production is lost due to pests, plant diseases and weeds.
Crops on nearly 11.6 million hectares, on average are damaged
every year by natural calamities and adverse seasonal
conditions.
 Major Crops
Food crops Paddy, wheat, jowar, Bajra, Maize, etc. Gram, Red gram, Green
(Cerels, millets, gram, Black gram etc…
pulses)
Oil seeds: Groundnut, Mustard, soyabean, sunflower etc..
Cash crops: Cotton , sugarcane, tobacco etc..
Vegetable crops: Onion potato, tomato, cabbage, brinjal, okra etc…
Plantation crops: Coffee, tea, rubber, coconut, cashew, oilpalm etc…
Fruit crops: Citrus, banana, apple, mango, pomogrenate, grapes etc…
Spices & Cardomom, clove, pepper, garlic, ginger turmeric etc…
condiments:
Medicinal plants: Sarpagandha, amla, tulsi, brahmi etc,,,
 Role of agriculture in Indian economy
• Agriculture as a profession is as old as civilisation itself and it
is not merely an occupation, but a way of life for the people
of India, as nearly 3/4th of the population live in rural areas.
• India holds pride position in production of many agricultural
produces.
• If we recall our past achievements since independence like
the Green, White, Silver, Yellow and Blue revolutions, there is
a feeling of pride, satisfaction and confidence. Irrigation,
technology, credit, price-support and marketing
infrastructure are the areas where impressive growth has
been registered.
 Major Agriculture Revelution
• Green Revolution: Increase in production of
cereals, wheat and leguminous plants
• White Revolution: Increase in production of milk
and dairy products
• Silver Revolution: Increase in production of eggs
and poultry products
• Yellow Revolution: Increase in production of
edible oils
• Blue Revolution: Increase in production of fishery
 Agricultural Census
• Introduction
Since 1970-71, the Agricultural Census has been conducted by
the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with States and Union
Territories.
This census, part of the World Agriculture Census Program
recommended by the FAO, provides important data on
agricultural holdings.
The information collected helps in forming government policies
and programs, especially benefiting small and marginal farmers.
It's the largest statistical operation by the Ministry of Agriculture,
gathering primary and secondary data on Indian agriculture
through state government machinery.
• The first agricultural census in the country was conducted with reference
year 1970-71.
• The census is carried out in three phases.
• During phase-I: A list of all the holdings with data on primary
characteristics like area, gender and social group of the holder and its
location code etc. are prepared.
• During phase-II: Detailed data on irrigation status, tenancy particulars,
cropping pattern, number of crops taken etc. are collected.
• Phase-III: Popularly known as Input Survey, relates to collection of data on
pattern of input use across various crops, regions and size groups of
holdings.
• So far eight agriculture census have been conducted with reference year:
1970-71, 1976-77, 1980-81, 1985-86, 1990-91, 1995-96, 2000-01, 2005-
06.
 Land records
• The revenue administration of the State
Government maintains, in each village or
group of villages, certain forms and registers
for recording, inter alia, details of ownership
and tenancy rights, in respect of agricultural
lands together with details of crops sown, and
revenue levies and collections.
Indian agriculture in the post-independence
era
• The post-independence history of Indian agriculture can be
broadly grouped into four periods. Before describing them, it is
important to mention that during the colonial era famines were
frequent and famine commissions were abundant.
• The growth rate of food production during the period 1900-1947
was barely 0.1 percent. Most of the important institutional
developments in agriculture emanated from the
recommendations of famine commissions.
• The great Bengal Famine of 1942-43 provided the backdrop to
India’s Independence. It is to the credit of independent India that
famines of this kind have not been allowed to occur, although the
population has grown from 350 million in 1947 to over 1.1billion
now.
 1. Phase-I: 1947-64
• During this time, India focused on building
infrastructure for modern agriculture by setting up
fertilizer and pesticide factories, large irrigation
projects, and agricultural universities like Pant
Nagar University in 1958.
• Despite these efforts, food production couldn't
keep up with the rapidly growing population,
leading to significant food imports, especially from
the US under the PL-480 program, peaking at 10
million tonnes in 1966.
 Phase-II: 1965-1985
• During this period, India focused on maximizing the
benefits of earlier infrastructure improvements, especially
in irrigation and technology transfer, while filling in
strategy gaps from the first phase.
• This led to the Green Revolution in 1968, significantly
boosting wheat and rice productivity, thanks to support
from leaders like C. Subramaniam and Jagjivan Ram.
• By the Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-85), agricultural growth
exceeded general economic growth, and food production
outpaced population growth, highlighting the success of
farmer-centered investment and strategies.
 3. Phase-III: 1985-2000
• During this phase, India focused more on producing
pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits, and milk, using
technology missions to boost oilseed production.
• Rain-fed areas and wastelands got more attention,
leading to impressive gains in milk and egg
production.
• However, public investment in irrigation and
infrastructure declined, and the cooperative credit
system weakened, despite the government ending up
with large grain reserves amidst widespread hunger.
 Phase-IV: 2001 to the present day
• Despite efforts, this phase saw a decline in agricultural
productivity due to policy fatigue, leading to distress
among farmers, with many wanting to quit farming.
• Rising international food prices, unfair trade practices,
and the impact of global warming, like melting glaciers
causing floods, added to the challenges.
• If food production doesn't outpace population growth
and the public distribution system lacks grain, India
risks returning to the pre-independence era of
frequent famines.