Major Problems Faced by Indian Agriculture

Major Problems Faced by Indian Agriculture The major problems confronting Indian agriculture ar those of population pressure, diminutive holdings, depleted commonwealths, omit of modern technology and unworthy facilities for storage. (a) Population Pressure India has a massive population of over one billion and it is increasing at a very fast rate. According to 2001 census figures the over all engrossment of population is 324 persons per sq. km. This is likely to increase further in future. This has created great posit for stain. Every bit of land has been brought under the plough.Even the hill slopes give way been knock into terraces for cultivation. (b) Small and Fragmented Land Holdings The pressure of increasing population and the utilise of dividing land equally among the heirs has caused excessive sub divisions of remotem holdings. Consequently, the holdings ar small and fragmented. The small size of holdings makes farming activity uneconomical and leads to socia l tension, vehemence and discontentment. (c) Inadequate Irrigation Facilities By and large the irrigation facilities available in India are far from adequate.So for half(a) of the total area under food crops has been brought under irrigation and the rest half is left to the mercy of monsoon rains which are erratic in m and space. (d) Depleted Soils Indian soils have been used for growing crops for thousands of years which have resulted in the depletion of soil fertility. With deforestation the sources of maintaining indwelling fertility of soil has been drying out. privation of material resources and ignorance of scientific association have further depleted the soils of the natural fertility. Earlier only animal waste was enough to maintain soil fertility. e) Storage of food grains Storage of food grains is a big problem. much or slight 10 per cent of our harvest goes waste every year in the absence of proper storage facilities. This colossal wastage tummy be avoided by d eveloping scientific ware-housing facilities. The government has taken several steps to set up storage facilities. (f) Farm Implements Although some mechanisation of farming has taken set out in some parts of the country, most of the farmers are poor people and do not have enough resources to purchase modern farm implements and tools.This hampers the discipline of agriculture. Challenges agriculture sector challenges will be important to Indias boilers suit development and the improved welfare of its rural poor 1. Raising rustic productivity per unit of land Raising productivity per unit of land will occupy to be the main engine of rustic suppuration as virtually all cultivable land is farmed. Water resources are also limited and water for irrigation must contend with increasing industrial and urban needs.All measures to increase productivity will need exploiting, amongst them increasing yields, diversification to high value crops, and developing value chains to reduce market costs. 2. Reducing rural poverty through a socially inclusive strategy that comprises both agriculture as well as non-farm craft Rural development must also benefit the poor, landless(prenominal), women, scheduled castes and tribes. Moreover, at that place are strong regional disparities the majority of Indias poor are in rain-fed areas or in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic plains. Reaching such groups has not been easy.While progress has been made the rural population classified as poor fell from nearly 40% in the early 1990s to beneath 30% by the mid-2000s (about a 1% fall per year) there is a clear need for a faster reduction. Hence, poverty alleviation is a central pillar of the rural development efforts of the Government and the World Bank. 3. Ensuring that rustic growth responds to food security needs The sharp rise in food-grain production during Indias Green Revolution of the seventies enabled the country to contact self-sufficiency in food-grains and stave off the t hreat of famine.Agricultural intensification in the 1970s to 1980s saw an increased demand for rural labor that embossed rural wages and, together with declining food prices, reduced rural poverty. withal awkward growth in the 1990s and 2000s slowed down, averaging about 3. 5% per annum, and food grain yields have increased by only 1. 4% per annum in the 2000s. The slow-down in hoidenish growth has become a major cause for concern. Indias rice yields are one-third of Chinas and about half of those in Vietnam and Indonesia. The same is true for most other rude commodities.Policy makers will thus need to initiate and/or conclude policy actions and universal courses to shift the sector away from the existing policy and institutional governance that appears to be no longer viable and build a fast foundation for a overmuch more productive, internationally competitive, and diversified plain sector. Priority Areas for Support 1. Enhancing artless productivity, competitiveness, and rural growth Promoting new technologies and reforming agricultural research and source Major reform and strengthening of Indias agricultural research and extension systems is one of the most important needs for agricultural growth.These services have declined over time collectible to chronic underfunding of stand and operations, no replacement of aging researchers or broad access to progressive technologies. Research now has little to provide beyond the time-worn packages of the past. Public extension services are struggling and offer little new knowledge to farmers. There is too little connection betwixt research and extension, or between these services and the secret sector. change Water Resources and Irrigation/Drainage counsel Agriculture is Indias largest user of water.However, increasing competition for water between industry, domestic use and agriculture has highlighted the need to plan and manage water on a river basin and multi-sectoral basis. As urban and othe r demands multiply, less water is likely to be available for irrigation. Ways to radically sharpen the productivity of irrigation (more crop per drop) need to be found. Piped conveyance, break away on-farm management of water, and use of more efficient delivery mechanisms such as drip irrigation are among the actions that could be taken. There is also a need to manage as opposed to exploit the use of groundwater.Incentives to pump less water such as levying electricity charges or community observe of use have not yet succeeded beyond sporadic initiatives. other(a) key priorities include (i) modernizing Irrigation and Drainage Departments to integrate the participation of farmers and other agencies in managing irrigation water (ii) improving cost recovery (iii) rationalizing public expenditures, with priority to complemental schemes with the highest returns and (iv) allocating sufficient resources for operations and maintenance for the sustainability of investments.Facilitating agricultural diversification to high-value commodities Encouraging farmers todiversify to higher value commodities will be a significant factor for higher agricultural growth, particularly in rain-fed areas where poverty is high. Moreover, considerable potential exists for expanding agro-processing and build competitive value chains from producers to urban centers and export markets. While diversification initiatives should be left to farmers and entrepreneurs, the Government can, first and foremost, liberalize constraints to marketing, transport, export and processing.It can also play a small regulatory role, taking due care that this does not become an impediment. Promoting high growth commodities Some agricultural sub-sectors have particularly high potential for expansion, notably dairy. The livestock sector, in the beginning due to dairy, contributes over a quarter of agricultural GDP and is a source of income for 70% of Indias rural families, mostly those who are poor and he aded by women. Growth in milk production, at about 4% per annum, has been brisk, but future domestic demand is expected to grow by at least 5% per annum.Milk production is constrained, however, by the poor catching quality of cows, inadequate nutrients, inaccessible veterinary care, and other factors. A targeted program to tackle these constraints could boost production and have good impact on poverty. Developing markets, agricultural credit and public expenditures Indias legacy of lengthened government involvement in agricultural marketing has created restrictions in familiar and external trade, resulting in cumbersome and high-cost marketing and transport options for agricultural commodities.Even so, private sector investment in marketing, value chains and agro-processing is growing, but much slower than potential. While some restrictions are being lifted, considerably more needs to be done to enable diversification and minimize consumer prices. Improving access to rural financ e for farmers is another need as it be difficult for farmers to get credit. Moreover, subsidies on power, fertilizers and irrigation have progressively come to tower Government expenditures on the sector, and are now four times big than investment expenditures, crowding out top priorities such as agricultural research and extension.