====== Agriculture in India ======

Agriculture is the **backbone of the Indian economy**, employing about **42.6%** of the workforce and contributing significantly to food security, rural livelihood, and economic stability.

===== Overview =====

==== Significance ====

  * **Employment**: 42.6% of total workforce (2019-20)
  * **GDP Contribution**: 20.2% (including allied sectors, 2019-20)
  * **Export earnings**: $41.25 billion (2020-21)
  * **Food security**: Feeds 1.39 billion population
  * **Rural economy**: Primary source of rural income

==== Agricultural Land ####

  * **Total geographical area**: 328.7 million hectares
  * **Net sown area**: 140.1 million hectares (42.6%)
  * **Gross cropped area**: 198.4 million hectares
  * **Cropping intensity**: 141.6%

===== Types of Farming =====

==== Based on Monsoon Dependence ####

**Kharif Crops (Summer Season):**
  * **Season**: June-July to September-October
  * **Monsoon**: Southwest monsoon dependent
  * **Major crops**: Rice, cotton, sugarcane, maize, pulses
  * **Harvesting**: September-October

**Rabi Crops (Winter Season):**
  * **Season**: October-November to March-April
  * **Irrigation**: Largely irrigated
  * **Major crops**: Wheat, barley, gram, mustard, peas
  * **Harvesting**: April-May

**Zaid Crops (Summer Season):**
  * **Season**: March-April to June-July
  * **Water requirement**: High irrigation needs
  * **Major crops**: Watermelon, cucumber, fodder crops
  * **Limited area**: Due to water scarcity

==== Based on Water Source ####

^ Type ^ Water Source ^ Percentage of Cultivated Area ^ Characteristics ^
| **Irrigated** | Canals, wells, tanks | 48.1% | Assured water supply |
| **Rain-fed** | Monsoon rainfall | 51.9% | Dependent on rainfall |

===== Major Crops =====

==== Food Grains ####

**Rice:**
  * **Production**: 118.43 million tonnes (2019-20)
  * **Area**: 44 million hectares
  * **Major states**: West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh
  * **Conditions**: High temperature (25°C), high rainfall (100cm+)

**Wheat:**
  * **Production**: 107.86 million tonnes (2019-20)
  * **Area**: 29.4 million hectares
  * **Major states**: Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh
  * **Conditions**: Cool growing season, moderate rainfall

**Pulses:**
  * **Production**: 23.03 million tonnes (2019-20)
  * **Importance**: Protein source, nitrogen fixation
  * **Major types**: Arhar, moong, urad, gram, masur
  * **Challenge**: Low productivity, import dependence

==== Cash Crops ####

**Cotton:**
  * **Production**: 36.54 million bales (2019-20)
  * **Major states**: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka
  * **Conditions**: Black soil, moderate rainfall, 180 frost-free days
  * **Uses**: Textile industry, export earnings

**Sugarcane:**
  * **Production**: 353.8 million tonnes (2019-20)
  * **Major states**: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
  * **Conditions**: Hot humid climate, heavy rainfall/irrigation
  * **Industry**: Sugar mills, ethanol production

==== Commercial Crops ####

**Tea:**
  * **Production**: 1.34 billion kg (2019-20)
  * **Major states**: Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala
  * **Export**: Significant foreign exchange earner
  * **Employment**: Labor-intensive cultivation

**Coffee:**
  * **Production**: 0.32 million tonnes (2019-20)
  * **Major states**: Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu
  * **Types**: Arabica and Robusta
  * **Export potential**: Premium coffee varieties

===== Green Revolution =====

==== Background ####

  * **Period**: Mid-1960s to 1970s
  * **Objective**: Achieve food self-sufficiency
  * **Father**: M.S. Swaminathan
  * **Focus**: High-yielding variety (HYV) seeds

==== Components ####

^ Component ^ Description ^ Impact ^
| **HYV Seeds** | High-yielding variety seeds | Increased productivity |
| **Irrigation** | Assured water supply | Crop reliability |
| **Fertilizers** | Chemical nutrients | Enhanced soil fertility |
| **Pesticides** | Pest and disease control | Crop protection |
| **Mechanization** | Modern equipment | Efficiency improvement |

==== Achievements ####

  * **Food self-sufficiency**: India became self-sufficient in food grains
  * **Productivity increase**: 
    - Wheat: 851 kg/hectare (1950-51) to 3,533 kg/hectare (2018-19)
    - Rice: 668 kg/hectare (1950-51) to 2,659 kg/hectare (2018-19)
  * **Regional impact**: Punjab, Haryana, UP benefited most

==== Limitations ####

  * **Regional disparity**: Benefits concentrated in few states
  * **Crop bias**: Focus mainly on wheat and rice
  * **Environmental concerns**: Soil degradation, water table depletion
  * **Income inequality**: Large vs small farmers

===== Agricultural Marketing =====

==== Market Structure ####

**Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC):**
  * **Function**: Regulate agricultural marketing
  * **Structure**: State-level committees
  * **Issues**: Monopolistic practices, limited market access
  * **Reforms**: Direct marketing, e-NAM platform

**Minimum Support Price (MSP):**
  * **Objective**: Price support to farmers
  * **Coverage**: 23 crops currently
  * **Determining body**: Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)
  * **Implementation**: Through government procurement

==== Recent Reforms ####

**Farm Acts 2020 (repealed 2021):**
  * **Contract farming**: Agreement between farmers and companies
  * **Direct marketing**: Sale outside APMC mandis
  * **Price risk management**: Forward contracts and derivatives

**e-NAM (Electronic National Agriculture Market):**
  * **Launch**: 2016
  * **Objective**: Unified national market
  * **Features**: Online trading, transparent pricing
  * **Coverage**: 1,000+ mandis connected

===== Government Schemes =====

==== PM-KISAN ====

  * **Launch**: 2019
  * **Objective**: Income support to farmers
  * **Benefit**: ₹6,000 per year in three installments
  * **Coverage**: All landholding farmers

==== Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) ####

  * **Launch**: 2016
  * **Objective**: Crop insurance scheme
  * **Premium**: 2% for Kharif, 1.5% for Rabi
  * **Technology**: Satellite imagery, weather data

==== Soil Health Card ####

  * **Launch**: 2015
  * **Objective**: Soil testing and nutrient management
  * **Coverage**: 22 crore farmers
  * **Impact**: Balanced fertilizer use

===== Challenges in Agriculture =====

==== Structural Challenges ####

  * **Land fragmentation**: Average holding size 1.08 hectares
  * **Low productivity**: Compared to global averages
  * **Infrastructure deficit**: Storage, transportation, processing
  * **Credit access**: Formal credit to 64% farmers

==== Environmental Challenges ####

  * **Soil degradation**: 147 million hectares affected
  * **Water scarcity**: Groundwater depletion
  * **Climate change**: Irregular rainfall, extreme weather
  * **Pest and diseases**: Crop losses

==== Economic Challenges ####

  * **Price volatility**: Unstable market prices
  * **Input costs**: Rising costs of fertilizers, seeds
  * **Post-harvest losses**: 15-20% of total production
  * **Market access**: Limited access to remunerative markets

===== Future Vision =====

==== Doubling Farmers' Income ####

  * **Target**: Double farmers' income by 2024
  * **Strategies**: 
    - Increase productivity
    - Reduce input costs
    - Improve market access
    - Value addition

==== Sustainable Agriculture ####

  * **Natural farming**: Reduced chemical inputs
  * **Climate-smart agriculture**: Adaptation measures
  * **Water use efficiency**: Drip irrigation, micro-sprinklers
  * **Organic farming**: Chemical-free production

==== Technology Integration ####

  * **Digital agriculture**: AI, IoT applications
  * **Precision farming**: Site-specific crop management
  * **Biotechnology**: GM crops, bio-fortification
  * **Mechanization**: Appropriate farm machinery

===== UPSC Relevance =====

  * **Paper**: General Studies Paper III (Economic Development)
  * **Topics**: Agricultural reforms, food security, rural development
  * **Previous Year Questions**:
    - Green Revolution impact and limitations (2021)
    - MSP system and agricultural marketing reforms (2020)
    - Climate change impact on agriculture (2019)
    - Doubling farmers' income strategies (2018)

===== Key Statistics to Remember =====

  * **Employment**: 42.6% of workforce
  * **GDP contribution**: 20.2% (including allied sectors)
  * **Net sown area**: 140.1 million hectares
  * **Cropping intensity**: 141.6%
  * **Irrigated area**: 48.1%
  * **Average land holding**: 1.08 hectares
  * **Food grain production**: 295+ million tonnes

===== Memory Techniques =====

**Major Rice Producing States**: **W**est **U**ttar **P**unjab **A**ndhra
  * **W** - West Bengal (highest)
  * **U** - Uttar Pradesh
  * **P** - Punjab
  * **A** - Andhra Pradesh

**Green Revolution Components**: **H**yV **I**rrigation **F**ertilizer **P**esticide **M**echanization
  * **H** - High-yielding variety seeds
  * **I** - Irrigation facilities
  * **F** - Fertilizers
  * **P** - Pesticides
  * **M** - Mechanization

===== Related Topics =====

  * [[indian_economy:food_processing|Food processing industry]]
  * [[indian_economy:banking_system|Agricultural credit and banking]]

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//Sources: Economic Survey 2021-22, Ministry of Agriculture, FAO India//