Module No-7
Agricultural production
Definition
Agricultural production is the use of cultivated plants or animals to produce products for
sustaining or enhancing human life.
Causes of Low Agricultural production
1. Population Pressure:
Land is limited, and has almost reached the level where more expansion in cultivated
area is not possible. The growth in population creates immense pressure on land. Even though
land-human ratio in India is better compared to some of the developed countries like Japan,
the Netherlands, Belgium and even China, other factors like very low yields and low levels of
industrialisation in India compound the problem of population pressure on agricultural land.
2. Uneconomic Holdings:
The average size of landholdings in India in 2001 was less than two hectares. One-
fourth of the total rural households own less than 0.4 hectare each, while another one-fourth
are landless. This creates difficulties in application of modern inputs, adoption of scientific
land improvement, water conservation and plant protection measures and in introducing
mechanised operations.
3. Uncertain Monsoons and Inadequate Irrigation Facilities:
With more than half of the gross cropped area being rainfed, failure or inadequacy of
rains causes fluctuation in yields. Even if the maximum irrigation potential is realised, around
86.5 mHa of gross cropped area will remain under rainfed conditions. This underlines the
need to develop rainfed agriculture on scientific lines.
4. Subsistence Nature of Farming:
Indian agriculture is characterised by its subsistence nature, i.e., most of the produce
is directly consumed by the producers and surplus, if any, is generally low. This is because
most Indian farmers, being poor, use outdated implements and technology, and are not able to
afford costly inputs. This results in low levels of returns and meagre incomes, which in turn
means low savings and low levels of reinvestments.
5. Decline in Soil Fertility:
For an agricultural country like India, soil is a precious resource, and degradation- of
soil is a serious problem, which leads to depletion of soil fertility. Soil erosion is the main
form of degradation which occurs because of deforestation and unscientific agricultural
practices like shifting cultivation. Increasing salinity, alkalinity and aridity because of
mismanagement and repeated use are other reasons for loss of soil fertility.
6. Poor Organisation of Resources and Lack of Entrepreneurship:
India has an underdeveloped agricultural infrastructure and institutions. Conditions
of poverty and deprivation and unequal distribution of land resources hamper the evolution of
an agricultural entrepreneur class.
Measures for removal of Low Agricultural productivity
1. Better Irrigation Facilities:
Indian agriculture is mainly dependent on monsoon. So permanent means of
irrigation should be developed.
2.Supply of Quality Seeds
Quality seeds should be sold through co-operative societies or village Panchayats.
Farmers should be given awareness regarding various varieties of seeds. Marginal farmers
should be given seeds on loan.
3.Green Manure:
Production of chemical fertilizers should be increased and it should be made
available to farmers at sub-sidised rates. Farmers should be educated for firing green manure.
Oil cakes may be used as fertilizers.
4.Credit Facilities:
Farmers should be advanced loans at reasonable rates of interest. Regional Rural
Banks should be opened. Commercial banks should be directed to provide loans to small
farmers on easy terms. Local moneylenders should be scrutinized to stop their malpractices.
5.Agricultural Marketing:
Agricultural marketing should be improved so that the farmer gets proper price for
their produce warehousing facilities should be improved. Means of Transport should be
strengthened. Regulated markets and Co-operative marketing societies should be established.
6. Land Reforms
For the development of agriculture land reforms are essential. Zamindari system
should be abolished. Cultivators should be made owners of land. Ceiling on land holdings
should be imposed. Minimum size of farms should be fixed. Problem of soil erosion and
waterlogging should be solved. Waste land should be put in use for cultivation.
7.Mixed Farming:
Farmers should be educated for adopting mixed farming. Mixed farming refers to the
practice of crop cultivation, animal husbandry, vegetable and fruit growing simultaneously.
Diary farming should be encouraged with a view of improving the economic condition of the
farmers.
8.Education:
Agricultural Department along with Extension Education Department of Agricultural
Universities should educate the farmers in general and farming operations in particular. They
will get new ideas of latest methods of cultivation. They will increase their production.
Problems / constraints of Indian Agriculture
1. Inequality in Land Distribution:
The distribution of agricultural land in India has not been fairly distributed. Rather
there is a considerable degree of concentration of land holding among the rich landlords,
farmers and money lenders throughout the country. But the vast majority of small farmers
own a very small and uneconomic size of holdings, resulting to higher cost per units.
2. Land Tenure System:
The land tenure system practiced in India is suffering from lot of defects. Insecurity of
tenancy was a big problem for the tenants, particularly during the pre- independence period.
3. Sub-division and Fragmentation of holdings:
In India, the average size of holding is expected to decline from 1.5 hectares in 1990-
91 to 1.3 hectares in 2000-01. Thus the size of agricultural holding is quite uneconomic,
small and fragmented. There is continuous sub-division and fragmentation of agricultural
land due to increasing pressure of population and breakdown of the joint family system and
also due to forced selling of land for meeting debt repayment obligations.
4. Cropping Pattern:
The cropping pattern which shows the proportion of the area under different crops at a
definite point of time is an important indicator of development and diversification of the
sector. Food crops and non-food or cash crops arc the two types of crops produced by the
agricultural sector of the country.
5. Instability and Fluctuations:
Indian agriculture is continuously subjected to instability arising out of fluctuations in
weather and gamble of monsoon. As a result, the production of food-grains and other crops
fluctuates widely leading to continuous fluctuation of prices of agricultural crops.
6. Conditions of Agricultural Labourers:
Agricultural labourers are the most exploited unorganized class in the rural population
of the country. From the very beginning landlords and Zamindars exploited these labourers
for their benefit and converted some of them as slaves or bonded labourers and forced to
continue the system generation after generation. All these led to wretched condition and total
deprivation of the rural masses.
7. Poor Farming Techniques and Agricultural Practices:
The farmers in India have been adopting orthodox and inefficient method and
technique of cultivation. It is only in recent years that the Indian farmers have started to adopt
improved implements like steel ploughs, seed drills, barrows, hoes etc. to a limited extent
only. Most of the farmers were relying on centuries old.
8.Inadequate Use of Inputs:
Indian agriculture is suffering from inadequate use of inputs like fertilizers and HYV
seeds. Indian farmers are not applying sufficient quantity of fertilizers on their lands and even
the application of farm yard dung manure is also inadequate. Indian farmers are still applying
seeds of indifferent quality. They have no sufficient financial ability to purchase good quality
high yielding seeds.
9. Inadequate Irrigation Facilities:
Indian agriculture is still suffering from lack of assumed and controlled water supply
through artificial irrigation facilities. Thus the Indian farmers have to depend much upon
rainfall which is neither regular nor even.
10. Absence of Crop Rotation:
Proper rotation of crops is very much essential for successful agricultural operations as
it helps to regain the fertility of the soil. Continuous production of cereals on the same plot of
land reduces the fertility of the soil which may be restored if other crops like pulses,
vegetables etc.
11. Lack of Organized Agricultural Marketing:
Agricultural marketing in India is also facing the problem of marketing farmers’
produce in the absence of adequate transportation and communication facilities, Therefore,
they fell into the clutches of middlemen for the speedy disposal of their crops at an
uneconomic and cheaper price.
12.Agricultural Indebtedness:
One of the greatest problems of Indian agriculture is its growing indebtedness. The
rural people are borrowing a heavy amount of loan regularly for meeting their requirements
needed for production, consumption and also for meeting their social commitments. Thus the
debt passes from generation to generation. Indian farmers fall into the debt trap as a result of
crop failure, poor income arising out of low prices of crops, exorbitantly high rate of interest
charged by the moneylenders, manipulation and use of loan accounts by the moneylenders
and use of loan for various unproductive social purposes.
National Agriculture Policy-2000
Introduction
The national agriculture policy popularly know as NAP was introduced by the
government in July 2000. It was presented by the agricultural minister Shri.Nitish Kumar in
the Parliament on 28th July 2000.The policy was formulated mainly to realize the entire
growth potential of Indian agriculture, through strengthening the rural infrastructure and
enabling faster agriculture development.
Objective of NAP-2000
1.To achieve and sustain a growth rate of 4% per annum.
2.To ensure growth based on efficient use of resources and at the same time conserve soil,
water and biodiversity.
3.To ensure food and nutritional security.
4.To achieve growth with equity. It implies that growth will be widespread region-wise and
covering all sector of farming community.
5.To provide incentives for the growth in rural areas and thus raise the standard of living for
farmer and Agriculture worker and their families.
6.To encourage investment by both public and private sector in agriculture and allied
activities so that migration of labour to urban areas can be prevented.
Measures to achieve the Objective/ Features of NAP
1. Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is one of the prime objective of the policy. To achieve this
following measures have been proposed.
A. Steps will be taken to reduce the pressure of population on land.
B. Diversion of agricultural land to non- agricultural purposes will be controlled.
C. More wastelands will be brought under cultivation and afforestation will be encourage on
a large scale.
D. Efforts will be made to conserve soil and enrich their fertility.
2. Food And Nutritional Security
The new policy aim at increasing production and productivity to meet the ever
increasing demand due to Rapid growth of population and ensure regular supply of raw
material to agro- based industries.
A. Variety of crops having high nutritional value will be grown.
B. Horticulture, floriculture, sericulture, bee hiving, dairy farming etc. will be given top
priority to generate more employment opportunities and export surplus.
3. Generation and Transfer of Technology
To modernize agriculture, agriculture research is emphasized by the new policy.
A. Improved variety of seeds which are location specific will be developed on a priority
basis.
B. Research in different region will be based on Agro climate zones.
4. Input Management
A. Adequate and timely supply of quality inputs.
B. Optimum and balance use of fertilizers.
C. Encouragement to private sector participation in development, production and distribution
of improved variety of seeds.
5. Incentives for Agriculture
A. Creating a favourable environment for increasing capital formation.
B. Extending the benefits given to the industrial sector to agriculture in terms of credit,
inputs, infrastructure etc.
6. Investment in Agriculture
A. Encouraging private sector investment in agriculture research, human resource
development, marketing, post harvest management etc.
B. Priority to rural electrification.
C. Increasing Public Sector Investment in agriculture to reduce regional imbalances.
7. Institutional Structure
For improving the institutional structure of the policy in size on three aspect namely:
A. Land Reforms
B. Rural Credit
C. Cooperative Sector
8. Risk Management
Indian agriculture is said to be gamble in the monsoon. Despite all the
technological advancements over a period of time, agriculture continuous to be a risky
venture.
A. Providing insurance policy to the farmer covering all agricultural operations.
B. Effective measures against flood, droughts etc.
9. Management Reforms
Better coordination between the central and state government and Central
Government supplementing the efforts of state government by providing necessary assistance
and direction.
