Indian Economy - Agriculture Sector Notes part 1

Indian Economy - Unit 3: Indian Agriculture Sector

1. Introduction & Importance

• This unit covers the Indian Agriculture sector, a crucial part of the Indian Economy syllabus.
• It holds significant weightage in competitive exams.
• The study requires understanding multiple dimensions and perspectives.
• The approach will be chronological: Pre-independence → Post-independence needs → Government measures (1947-2024).

2. Key Areas Covered (Outline)

• Agricultural Policies & Green Revolution
• Cooperative System
• Agricultural Marketing & Pricing Policy
• Agricultural Credit
• Crop Patterns in India
• Agricultural Insurance
• Agricultural Subsidies & Farmer Welfare
• Food Security
• Agriculture & Allied Sectors (Performance, Growth, Share in National Income)
• Irrigation
• Government Initiatives & Development Strategies
• New Agricultural Laws

3. Definition of Agriculture

• Etymology: "Agri" (మట్టి - Soil/Clay) + "Culture" (సాగు చేయడం - Cultivation).
• Meaning: Cultivation of the soil.

4. Dependency on Agriculture

• Crucial for India as a developing nation.
• High population dependency for livelihood.
• Statistics:
  • 1950-51: ~70% dependent.
  • 2022-23: ~55% dependent.
  • 2023-24: ~54% dependent.
• Key Point: Over 50% of the population has relied on agriculture since independence.

5. Agricultural Seasons in India

Season	Type	Period	Main Crop(s)	Telangana Term
Kharif	Rainy Season (వర్షాకాలపు పంట)	June - October	Paddy (వరి - Rice)	Abi (అబి)
Rabi	Winter Crop (శీతాకాలపు పంట)	November - February	Wheat (గోధుమ)	Tabi (తబి)
Zaid	Summer Crop (వేసవి కాలపు పంట)	March - May	Jowar (జొన్న), Maize (మొక్కజొన్న), Pulses (కందులు)	-

Note: Zaid crops are short-duration crops grown between Rabi and Kharif.

6. Monsoons & Agriculture

• Indian agriculture is heavily dependent on monsoons ("Gamble on the Monsoons").
• Southwest Monsoon (నైరుతి ఋతుపవనాలు): June to mid-September.
• Northeast Monsoon (ఈశాన్య ఋతుపవనాలు): Mid-September to early November.

7. State of Agriculture at Independence (Impact of British Rule)

• British policies (200 years) severely harmed Indian agriculture.
• Negative Impacts:
  • Faulty Land Policies: Original landowners often became tenants (కౌలుదారులు), while intermediaries/tax collectors (సుంకర్లు/Zamindars) became owners.
  • Emphasis on Commercial Crops: Prioritized over food grains, leading to post-independence food shortages.
  • Decline of Traditional Industries: Handicrafts, cottage industries suffered, pushing people towards agriculture.
  • High Land Revenue (శిస్తు): Burdened farmers.
  • Neglect of Infrastructure: Lack of investment in irrigation (నీటి పారుదల) and use of poor quality seeds (నాసి రకమైన విత్తనాలు).
  • Traditional Methods: Low productivity due to outdated techniques.
  • Land Fragmentation: Small and scattered holdings (భూకమతాలలో సమస్యలు).
  • Exploitation: By intermediaries (మధ్య దళారీ వ్యవస్థ) and high tenancy rents (కౌలు పరిమాణం).

8. Post-Independence Scenario & Early Initiatives

• Initial Challenges (1947-~1955): Focus diverted to constitution-making, state reorganization, conflicts, refugees.
• Food Crisis: Persistence of shortages.
• PL-480 (1958): India imported wheat from the USA.
• Ford Foundation (1959): Provided recommendations.
• IADP (Intensive Agricultural District Programme) (1960):
  • Pilot program in 7 select districts.
  • Focused on increasing specific crop yields.
  • Districts: Shahabad, Raipur, West Godavari, Thanjavur, Ludhiana, Aligarh, Pali.
• IAAP (Intensive Agricultural Areas Programme) (1965):
  • Expanded concept to 114 districts.
  • Focused on specific areas within districts.
  • AP Districts: Godavari districts, Krishna, Guntur.
  • Telangana Districts: Mahbubnagar, Warangal, Karimnagar.

9. The Green Revolution

• Precursors (1966 Kharif):
  • HYVP (High Yielding Varieties Programme - అధిక దిగుబడినిచ్చే వంగడాల కార్యక్రమం)
  • NAS (New Agricultural Strategy - నూతన వ్యవసాయ వ్యూహం): Package approach (HYV seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, mechanization).
• Term "Green Revolution": Coined by William S. Gaud (1968).
• Definition: Rapid increase in food grain production via the new strategy.
• Key HYV Seeds Introduced:
  • Wheat: Sonara-64, Lerma Rojo-64 (Mexico), Miracle Wheat, PV-18, Sharbati Sonara, Kalyan Sona.
  • Rice: H-4 (Sri Lanka), Taichung Native-1 (Taiwan), IRRI varieties (IR-8, IR-67), IARI varieties (Jaya, Padma, Jagannath), Sona Masuri.
  • Maize: Ganga-101, Ranjit, Kisan.
  • Bajra: Baba Puri, Pusa Moti.
• Developed by: International centers (Mexico, Philippines), National centers (IARI, Delhi).
• Impact:
  • Achieved food self-sufficiency.
  • Increased production significantly (Wheat ~30%, Rice ~25% initially).
  • Initial Benefited Regions: Punjab, Haryana, Western UP.
  • Benefited Crops: Wheat, Rice.
  • Negatively Impacted Crops: Pulses (పప్పు ధాన్యాలు).
  • Benefited Commercial Crops: Groundnut, Cotton, Sugarcane.
  • Benefited Vegetables: Potato, Cabbage, Cauliflower.