Consumers are almost always hit by some or the other exorbitantly expensive crop. After onions and tomatoes, it is the turn of the pricey pulses. The successive governments do bring ambitious programmes and policies to improve the dilapidating state of agriculture but they somehow fail to find their way from paper to soil.
With 58% of the population still engaged in the primary sector, India indeed continues to carry the legacy of an agrarian economy. The contribution of agriculture in the GDP in India is around 18% , which is three times the world average of 6.1%. Approximately 10% of the export value is from the agriculture sector alone. Agricultural production in India is second highest in the world and forms 7.6% of the total agricultural output in the world.
With 58% of the population still engaged in the primary sector, India indeed continues to carry the legacy of an agrarian economy. The contribution of agriculture in the GDP in India is around 18% , which is three times the world average of 6.1%. Approximately 10% of the export value is from the agriculture sector alone. Agricultural production in India is second highest in the world and forms 7.6% of the total agricultural output in the world.
Despite there being such heavy dependence, the sector is in an abysmal state of affairs. Every year, 20 million tonnes of grain is lost to spoilage. This is about half of the total produce of Australia. There were as many as 5,650 farmer suicides in 2014, or an average of 15 suicides per day. China, with a landholding of almost half of that of India's, produced 600 million tonnes of agricultural output, against the 240 million tonnes of India in 2015.
The shortcomings in the agricultural sector are mainly due to:
1. SMALL LAND HOLDINGS: After a farmer's death, is sons inherit the land tract and divide it among themselves. Their progeny further inherits smaller pieces of land and so on. Ultimately, the size of land-holdings gets smaller and smaller. This creates a lot of problems in proper irrigation and a lot of fertile land is wasted in creating boundaries.
2. POOR QUALITY OF SEEDS, FERTILIZERS: Most of the farmers, excluding the ones in regions of the Punjab, Haryana and the like, do not have access to high-quality seeds and fertilizers. As a result, per hectare production is very low and the quality of yield is also not satisfactory. The crops are more vulnerable to pests and since they're not strong enough,they are also likely to be affected even before they mature. Due to lack of fertilizers and pesticides, productivity remains low as quality of soil is not good enough.
3. IMPROPER IRRIGATION: Hardly one-third of India's agricultural land is under irrigation. Till date, most farmers depend on rains for irrigation, which more often than not is erratic. Also, large tracts of Punjab and Haryana have been rendered useless because of excessive irrigation and water logging. Hence, it's essential to maintain just the appropriate amount of irrigation.
4. LACK OF ADEQUATE MECHANIZATION: In many parts of the country, farmers still have to depend on manual labor for ploughing, sowing, irrigation, harvesting, etc. The manual process is in no way as efficient as machines. The mechanization of agriculture is very important to not only reduce the back-breaking work but also to ensure a better produce.
5. INEFFICIENT AGRICULTURAL MARKET- Due to lack of a transparent and direct connection between buyers and farmers, middlemen tend to eat up the money that should actually be given to farmers. Poorer and unaware farmers are the worst hit. As a result, a majority of farmers do not get the due amount hence no incentive to improve the quality of produce.
6. SCARCE CAPITAL: Barring a few well-off farmers, the farmers in India barely have the finances to increase production. Most of these in fact produce just enough for sustenance. They have no resources to increase land under cultivation or diversify their produce or even buy better quality equipment. Since remote rural areas still do not have access to banks, farmers in those regions have to rely on the local moneylender who uses their helplessness and illiteracy to his monetary advantage. Such moneylenders keep the farmers in debt through fraudulent means and the poor farmer's family is caught in a debt-trap.
In order to enhance the productivity in the sector, not only must the government pay attention to the mentioned problem areas but also make provisions for FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES near the agricultural lands.
Let's consider the example of a fruit crop, apple. Many times due to lack of storage or insufficient sale, many tonnes of apples are ruined and have to be thrown. If there were, say a juice factory or a jam producing factory, much of that stock could be utilized and also ensured a regular side-income for the farmers.
The agricultural sector has potential for generating a much higher revenue. With the intervention of more agriculture-scientists and better measures effectively implemented by the government, we can uplift the status of the poor hardworking farmer and also improve food security.
4. LACK OF ADEQUATE MECHANIZATION: In many parts of the country, farmers still have to depend on manual labor for ploughing, sowing, irrigation, harvesting, etc. The manual process is in no way as efficient as machines. The mechanization of agriculture is very important to not only reduce the back-breaking work but also to ensure a better produce.
5. INEFFICIENT AGRICULTURAL MARKET- Due to lack of a transparent and direct connection between buyers and farmers, middlemen tend to eat up the money that should actually be given to farmers. Poorer and unaware farmers are the worst hit. As a result, a majority of farmers do not get the due amount hence no incentive to improve the quality of produce.
6. SCARCE CAPITAL: Barring a few well-off farmers, the farmers in India barely have the finances to increase production. Most of these in fact produce just enough for sustenance. They have no resources to increase land under cultivation or diversify their produce or even buy better quality equipment. Since remote rural areas still do not have access to banks, farmers in those regions have to rely on the local moneylender who uses their helplessness and illiteracy to his monetary advantage. Such moneylenders keep the farmers in debt through fraudulent means and the poor farmer's family is caught in a debt-trap.
In order to enhance the productivity in the sector, not only must the government pay attention to the mentioned problem areas but also make provisions for FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES near the agricultural lands.
Let's consider the example of a fruit crop, apple. Many times due to lack of storage or insufficient sale, many tonnes of apples are ruined and have to be thrown. If there were, say a juice factory or a jam producing factory, much of that stock could be utilized and also ensured a regular side-income for the farmers.
The agricultural sector has potential for generating a much higher revenue. With the intervention of more agriculture-scientists and better measures effectively implemented by the government, we can uplift the status of the poor hardworking farmer and also improve food security.
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