Agriculture in India
Agriculture is the largest livelihood in rural India. It contributes to the gross
domestic product or GDP. According to the economic survey of India in 2020-21, food
grain production was recorded at 285.21 million tonnes. Our country is among the
fifteen leading exporters of agricultural products. India is the second-largest
producer of many crops such as sugar cane, cotton, ground nuts, and rice. India has
over the years got increased agricultural funding. India also ranks third in
agricultural funding and agricultural start-ups.
Raising the productivity per unit will need to be the main vision for the coming years for the farmers. The government needs to create steps in such a way that farming will benefit the helpless poor and landless women and the scheduled caste and tribes. Though agriculture is the livelihood for rural India, it hasn’t been able to be a good source of income for many farmers and their families and poverty is still rampant. The government and the World Bank need to create steps to alleviate poverty in our country.
If agriculture as an occupation needs to be looked at as a viable long-term economic base for the farmers, the farmer’s interests should be served with an effective and efficient system for food and crop production.
Though India is an influential agricultural powerhouse with farmers as its backbone, it does face decade-long problems and unforeseen challenges that are important to set right.
Relying on monsoon
Since agriculture depends on monsoons, the production of food grains fluctuates
every year. If one year is an abundant year of cereal the next year there is a high
possibility there will be an acute abundance of the same cereal.
Lack of agricultural marketing
Farmers do not use sound marketing facilities. They rely on middlemen and traders
and because of this their produce is sold at a throwaway price.
Concentration only on a few crops
Farmers are producing rice and wheat for many years and because of this, there is a
shortage of other crops in the market.
Soil erosion
Even fertile land suffers from soil erosion because of wind and water. The eroded
soul must be properly treated and restored to its original fertility.
Scarcity of capital
Just like any other industry, agriculture also requires capital. With the
advancement of farm technology, the role of capital is becoming increasingly
important. Agriculturalists’ capital is locked up in their land and therefore, he
borrows money for agricultural production.
Lack of mechanization
Even though many parts of India use large-scale mechanization, many farmers still
lack advanced infrastructures and a lot of their work is carried out by their hands
using simple and conventional tools. Farmers still follow primitive cultivation
methods such as the traditionally used plow and native accessories in many areas.
Lack of good quality seeds
If you want to attain higher crop yields in agricultural production, the seed is a
critical and basic input. Production of good quality seeds is as important as
distribution of good quality seeds. Many farmers still do not have access to good
quality seeds because good quality seeds are exorbitantly priced.
Water availability
Farmers do not get the correct amount of water for irrigation and they depend on
rainwater for irrigation. Even though we get a good water supply in India, we still
haven’t found the correct ways to utilize enormous water supplies.
High-interest rates
Farmers’ suicides are common only because of the debt they are unable to pay. They
are unable to pay unreasonably priced high-interest rates. The farmers have to go
through many procedures to get institutional credit. High-interest rates should also
be made illegal.
Transportation problems
The lack of good and cheap transport is a problem that farmers face. They still rely
on bullock carts. Because of the absence of good transportation, the farmers do not
deliver their goods to the central market and sell their goods to the local markets
at low costs.
Bad storage facilities
The storage facilities in rural areas are not good enough or completely not
available. Because of the lack of storage facilities, the farmers are forced to sell
their goods at low prices which does not give them a good income.