Elevating India’s Agricultural Sector

Despite registering an impressive four per cent growth rate in the 2022-23 fiscal, agriculture in India still remains neglected as limited efforts have been made to make farming a more profitable sector. Indian farmers have banked on traditional techniques due to lack of knowledge about scientific advancements in agriculture and as a result, while many nations are able to get maximum output with minimum input, the farming sector in India is struggling to cope with surplus labour and low productivity, which is severely hampering the growth of this sector. Thus, the plight of the Indian farmers is increasing each day and it’s a pity that despite being known as an agrarian economy, the number of farmer suicides in India are very high, making a mockery of the slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ given by the second Prime Minister of the country Lal Bahadur Shastri. 

In India, agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy and that farmers are the backbone of agriculture. But neither the farming sector, nor farmers receive adequate attention at times of need. India’s success story in agriculture is majorly limited to the Green Revolution in the sixties. Since then, not much effort has been made to take Indian farming to the next level. This is why agriculture in India is still mainly dependent on the monsoon. A good monsoon means good yields, while less rainfall or drought bring unbearable plights to the farming community responsible for feeding India. Things could be different if instead of neglect, the authorities adopted a realistic and modern approach to help agriculture prosper in India.

In this regard, a few steps can help India to emerge as one of the top agricultural nations of the world. Firstly, to end the dependence on monsoons a national irrigation grid should be constructed, so that yields do not suffer for want of water. A close study of rural India will reveal that all prosperous regions have been immensely benefited from a sound irrigation network. Along with ensuring irrigation facilities to the length and breadth of the country, efforts should be made to prevent floods, especially in flood-prone states like Assam to best utilise its fertile soil. Simultaneously, there should be a diversification of crops. It has been found that land loses its fertility if the same crops are grown repeatedly. This has happened in states that benefited from the green revolution since the mid-sixties wherein wheat and rice have been produced on this land, despite repeated requests to shift to millet or oilseed. Here the government has an important role to play. It should also procure other yields apart from rice or wheat to encourage farmers to diversify to ensure consistent growth in the sector. It is hoped that the tremendous achievements of our farmers will act as an eye-opener for policy makers and necessary measures taken to bring Indian farmers at par with those around the globe.