Agriculture in India - 1
Agriculture in India
In the past agriculture has played and will continue to play a dominant role in the growth of Indian economy in the foreseeable future. It represents the largest sector producing around 28 percent of the GDP, is the largest employer providing more than 60 percent of the jobs and is the prime arbiter of living standards for seventy percent of India’s population living in the rural areas. These factors together with a strong determination to achieve self-sufficiency in food grains production have ensured a high priority for agriculture sector in the successive development plans of the country.
An important facet of progress in agriculture is its success in eradication of its critical dependence on imported foodgrains. In the 1950’s nearly 5 percent of the total foodgrains available in the country were imported. This dependence worsened during the 1960’s when two severe drought years led to a sharp increase in import of foodgrains. During 1966 India had to import more than 10 million tonnes of foodgrains as against a domestic production of 72 million tonnes. In the following year again, nearly twelve million tonnes had to be imported. On the average well over seven percent of the total availability of foodgrains during the 1960s had to be imported.
Indian agriculture has progressed a long way from an era of frequent droughts and vulnerability to food shortages to becoming a significant exporter of agricultural commodities. This has been possible due to persistent efforts at harnessing the potential of land and water resources for agricultural purposes. Indian agriculture, which grew at the rate of about 1 percent per annum during the fifty years before independence, has grown at the rate of about 3 percent per annum in the post independence era.
Agriculture – sub-sectors
Indian agriculture broadly consists of four sub-sectors. Agriculture proper including all food-crops oilseeds, fiber, plantation crops, fruits and
In the past agriculture has played and will continue to play a dominant role in the growth of Indian economy in the foreseeable future. It represents the largest sector producing around 28 percent of the GDP, is the largest employer providing more than 60 percent of the jobs and is the prime arbiter of living standards for seventy percent of India’s population living in the rural areas. These factors together with a strong determination to achieve self-sufficiency in food grains production have ensured a high priority for agriculture sector in the successive development plans of the country.
An important facet of progress in agriculture is its success in eradication of its critical dependence on imported foodgrains. In the 1950’s nearly 5 percent of the total foodgrains available in the country were imported. This dependence worsened during the 1960’s when two severe drought years led to a sharp increase in import of foodgrains. During 1966 India had to import more than 10 million tonnes of foodgrains as against a domestic production of 72 million tonnes. In the following year again, nearly twelve million tonnes had to be imported. On the average well over seven percent of the total availability of foodgrains during the 1960s had to be imported.
Indian agriculture has progressed a long way from an era of frequent droughts and vulnerability to food shortages to becoming a significant exporter of agricultural commodities. This has been possible due to persistent efforts at harnessing the potential of land and water resources for agricultural purposes. Indian agriculture, which grew at the rate of about 1 percent per annum during the fifty years before independence, has grown at the rate of about 3 percent per annum in the post independence era.
Agriculture – sub-sectors
Indian agriculture broadly consists of four sub-sectors. Agriculture proper including all food-crops oilseeds, fiber, plantation crops, fruits and