Agriculture In India

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Rice R

Wheat W

Jowar (Sorghum) J

Bajra (Millet) B

Areas with two predominate crops

Minor crop Areas in India: P Pulses, S Sugarcane, J Jute, Cn Coconut, C Cotton, and T Tea.

The fertile Ganges River Delta—known for severe flooding and tropical cyclones—supports cultivation of jute, tea, and rice. Fisheries are both produced and exported from this region. Agriculture in India has a long history dating back to ten thousand years. Today, India ranks second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for 16.6% of the GDP in 2007, employed 60% of the total workforce[1] and despite a steady decline of its share in the GDP, is still the largest economic sector and plays a significant role in the overall socio-economic development of India. India is the largest producer in the world of milk, cashew nuts, coconuts, tea, ginger, turmeric and black pepper.[2] It also has the world's largest cattle population (281 million).[3] It is the second largest producer of wheat, rice, sugar, groundnut and inland fish.[4] It is the third largest producer of tobacco.[4] India accounts for 10% of the world fruit production with first rank in the production of banana and sapota.[4] India has many farm insurance companies that insure wheat, fruit, rice and rubber farmers in the event of natural disasters or catastrophic crop failure, under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture. One notable company that provides all of these insurance policies is agriculture insurance company of india and it alone insures almost 20 million farmers. India's population is growing faster than its ability to produce rice and wheat.[5] The most important structural reform for self-sufficiency is the ITC Limited plan to connect 20,000 villages to the Internet by 2013.[6] This will provide farmers with up to date crop prices for the first time, which should minimise losses incurred from neighbouring producers selling early and in turn facilitate investment in rural areas.

Contents [hide] •

1 Overview

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2 Insurance

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3 Initiatives

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4 Problems

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5 History

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6 See also

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7 Gallery

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8 Notes

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9 External links

[edit] Overview See also: Forestry in India, Animal husbandry in India, and Fishing in India

Composition of India's total production (million tonnes) of foodgrains and commercial crops, in 2003–04. India ranks second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for 18% of the GDP in 2007, employed 70% of the total workforce[1] and despite a steady decline of its share in the GDP, is still the largest economic sector and plays a significant role in the overall socio-economic development of India. Yields per unit area of all crops have grown since 1950, due to the special emphasis placed on agriculture in the five-year plans and steady improvements in irrigation, technology, application of modern agricultural practices and provision of agricultural credit and subsidies since Green revolution in India. However, international comparisons reveal that the average yield in India is generally 30% to 50% of the highest average yield in the world.[7] Indian Punjab is called the "Granary of India" or "India's bread-basket." [8] It produces 14% of India's cotton, 20% of India's wheat, and 9% of India's rice.

[edit] Insurance See also: Insurance in India India has many farm insurance companies that insure wheat, fruit, rice and rubber farmers in the event of natural disasters or catastrophic crop failure, under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture. One notable company that provides all of these insurance policies is agriculture insurance company of india and it alone insures almost 20 million farmers.

[edit] Initiatives The required level of investment for the development of marketing, storage and cold storage infrastructure is estimated to be huge. The government has implemented various schemes to raise investment in marketing infrastructure. Among these schemes are Construction of Rural Go downs, Market Research and Information Network, and Development / Strengthening of Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure, Grading and Standardization.[9]

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), established in 1905, was responsible for the research 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.[10] 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 specializes in statistical techniques for animal and plant breeding. Prof. M.S. Swaminathan is known as "Father of the Green Revolution" and heads the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation.[11] He is known for his advocacy of environmentally sustainable agriculture and sustainable food security.

[edit] Problems Slow agricultural growth is a concern for policymakers as some two-thirds of India’s 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"[12] The low productivity in India is a result of the following factors: •

According to World Bank's "India: 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 labor, land, and credit markets. India has inadequate infrastructure and services.[13] World Bank also says that the allocation of water is inefficient, unsustainable and inequitable. The irrigation infrastructure is deteriorating.[13]

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Illiteracy, general socio-economic backwardness, slow progress in implementing land reforms and inadequate or inefficient finance and marketing services for farm produce.

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The average size of land holdings is very small (less than 20,000 m²) 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.

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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.

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Irrigation facilities are inadequate, as revealed by the fact that only 52.6% of the land was irrigated in 2003–04,[14] 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.[15] Farm credit is regulated by NABARD, which is the statutory apex agent for rural development in the subcontinent.

[edit] History Main article: History of agriculture in India

Indian agriculture began by 9000 BCE as a result of early cultivation of plants, and domestication of crops and animals.[16] Settled life soon followed with implements and techniques being developed for agriculture.[17][18] Double monsoons led to two harvests being reaped in one year.[19] Indian products soon reached the world via existing trading networks and foreign crops were introduced to India.[19][20] Plants and animals—considered essential to their survival by the Indians—came to be worshiped and venerated.[21] 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 Islamic patronage.[22][23] Land and water management systems were developed with an aim of providing uniform growth.[24][25] Despite some stagnation during the later modern era the independent Republic of India was able to develop a comprehensive agricultural program.[26][27]

[edit] See also •

Forestry in India

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Fishing in India

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Livestock in India

[edit] Gallery

Onset of the Southwest monsoon in Natural vegetation in India. India.

Natural vegetation zones in South Asia.

[edit] Notes 1. ^ a b "CIA Factbook: India". CIA Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-10. 2. ^ Agriculture sector Indo British Partnership network, Retrieved on December 2007 3. ^ Lester R. Brown World's Rangelands Deteriorating Under Mounting Pressure Earth

Policy Institute, Retrieved on- February 2008 4. ^ a b c Indian agriculture Agribusiness Information Centre, Retrieved on- February 2008 5. ^ "The Food Chain in Fertile India, Growth Outstrips Agriculture". New York Times. 22

June 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/business/22indiafood.html?_r=1. 6. ^ "India on the Move". India Reborn (2). 2009-02-17. 7. ^ Datt, Ruddar & Sundharam, K.P.M.. "28". Indian Economy. pp. 485–491. 8. ^ Welcome to Official Web site of Punjab, India 9. ^ Agriculture marketing india.gov Retrieved on- February 2008

10. ^ Objectives Indian agricultural research institute, Retrieved on December 2007 11. ^ MS Swaminathan Times Inc. Retrieved on- 21 February, 2008 12. ^ "India Country Overview 2008". World Bank. 2008.

http://www.worldbank.org.in/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/I NDIAEXTN/0,,contentMDK:20195738~menuPK:295591~pagePK:141137~piPK:14112 7~theSitePK:295584,00.html. 13. ^ a b "India: Priorities for Agriculture and Rural Development". World Bank.

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/EXT SAREGTOPAGRI/0,,contentMDK:20273764~menuPK:548214~pagePK:34004173~piP K:34003707~theSitePK:452766,00.html. 14. ^ Multiple authors (2004). Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2004.

http://dacnet.nic.in/eands/4.6(a)All%20lndia%20Area,%20Production%20and%20Yield %20of%20Rice.xls. 15. ^ Sankaran, S. "28". Indian Economy: Problems, Policies and Development. pp. 492–

493. 16. ^ Gupta, page 54 17. ^ Harris & Gosden, page 385 18. ^ Lal, R. (August 2001), "Thematic evolution of ISTRO: transition in scientific issues

and research focus from 1955 to 2000", Soil and Tillage Research 61 (1-2): 3–12 [3], doi:10.1016/S0167-1987(01)00184-2 19. ^ a b agriculture, history of. Encyclopedia Britannica 2008. 20. ^ Shaffer, pages 310-311 21. ^ Gupta, page 57 22. ^ Iqtidar Husain Siddiqui, "Water Works and Irrigation System in India during Pre-

Mughal Times", Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. 29, No. 1 (Feb., 1986), pp. 52–77. 23. ^ Shaffer, page 315 24. ^ Palat, page 63 25. ^ Kumar, page 182 26. ^ Roy 2006 27. ^ Kumar 2006

[edit] External links •

Indian Agriculture. U.S. Library of Congress.

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Indian Council for Agricultural Research Home Page.

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Website of The Indian Farmers Association

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