Agriculture And Indian Farmers

Issues and Road Ahead

Prepared By:
Swati Sharma
Ankita Sawashe
Ishan Srivatsva
Himanshu Singh
Ayush Bhole
Indian Agriculture
• Agriculture is one of the oldest engagements of human race and has
played an important role in human civilization.

• Today’s agriculture is characterized by chemical fertilizers and

pesticides, micro irrigation, automated machinery, drones, etc.

• It not only meets the food and nutritional requirements of 1.3 billion
Indians, but also contributes significantly to production, employment
and demand generation through various backward and forward
linkages.

• Today, India ranks second worldwide in farm output, which is built

on the struggle and hard work of past 70 years. 2
• More than 80% of the population living in rural areas were
dependent on agriculture for their livelihood.

• After independence when Five Year Development Plans were

prepared in 1950, agriculture was given priority.

• To make the country self-sufficient in food grains and reduce our

dependence on imports, high input driven “green revolution”
agriculture was introduced in the late 1960s in pockets of north
western and coastal peninsular India.

3
 Status of Agriculture in India
• India is among the top producers of several crops such as
wheat,rice,pulses,sugarcane and cotton.

• It is the highest producer of milk and second highest producer of

fruiuts and vegetables.In 2013, India contributed 25% to the World’s
pulses production,13% to the wheat production and 25% of the total
quantity of cotton produced ,besides being the second highest
Exporter of cotton for the past several years

• Agricultural growth has been fairly volatile over the past

decade,ranging from 5.8% in 2005-06 to 0.4% in 2009-10 and 0.2%
in 2014-15.
4
5
Evolution of Agriculture

2000
onwards
1980-2000 50 percent
Expanding increase in
cereal seed subsidy.
1960-80 production. Additional
Pioneering work Econonmic financial
of agricultural reforms assistance for
scientists and introduced;
efforts of farmers horticulture
1950s greater crops
led to green
Sagnation in Revolution High encouragemet Schemes like
Agriculture Yield Variety to exports. Pradhan
low growth (HYV) of Mantri Krishi
seeds,increased Surplus of
in crop production of Sinchai
andgrain use of fertilizers
and irrigation agricultural Yogaana that
production resulted in a commodities accords high
significant spike in over domestic prioriy to
production. demand water security.
Agriculture Conrtibution to
GDP
• The Agriculture sector
employs nearly half of the
workforce in the country.
However, it contributes to
17.5% of the GDP(at current
prices in 2015-16).

Agriculture Sector contribution

has decreased from more than
50% of GDP In the 1950s to
15.4% in 2015-16(at Constant prices).
Agriculture Holdings of Farmers

• The condition of most of the Indian farmers is terrible.

• Small and marginal holdings constitute 86.21% of the total land

holdings as per census 2015-16, an increase of 1.2 percentage points
compared to 2010-11.

• The average size of operational holdings is highest in Nagaland (5

hectares) and lowest in Kerala (0.18 hectares).

• Migration of farmers from Large holdings to medium holdings can

be accounted due to the operation of land ceiling act under land
reforms.
8
• Whereas migration of medium sized holdings to small size holdings
and small sized holdings to marginal farmers has been due to sub
division of land holdings by heir.

• The total number of operational holdings in the country has

increased from 138 million in 2010-11 to 146 million 2015- 16.

9
Farmers Average Income
• The agriculture contributes only 15% to GDP and supports approx.
50% to employment.

• Because of getting low income as compare to their hard work,

farmers are moving their occupation such as labourers.

• The NABARD All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey (NAFIS)

shows that in 2016-17 agriculture household income was nearly Rs.
8,931.

• A study by NSSO shows in 2012-13 an income of farmer increase

approx. by Rs. 2505 pm in the last four year. 
• It also includes that average household income in Kharif
season is higher than that in Rabi season. 

• The all - India average household income was Rs. 21,490

for Kharif Season and Rs. 15,460 for Rabi Season.
Indebtedness of Farmers 
• NSSO survey also shows that 70% of rural agriculture household are
indebted

• It also indicates that in 2013, 74% of agriculture households were in debt

with large land building as compared to small and medium land holdings. 

• In 2013 , a farmer is 22% points more likely to have a standing loan than
a farmer in 1992. As a result of increase in debt.

• Due to the numerous reasons like crop failures because of unavailability

of water, most of the farmers attempted suicide in past few years.
• According to the National Crime Records Bureau, in 2016 8,007
farmers killed themselves.

• Indebtedness was listed primary reason of 55% of farmers suicides in

2015 and more than 3,00,000 suicides since 1995.
Socio-Economic Condition of
Farmers
• The Economic Survey 2017-18 had key implications for agriculture
sector, a space which employs more than 50 per cent of the total
workforce in India.

• It contributes around 17-18 percent to the country’s GDP (Gross

Domestic Product).

• It has also been discussed that the condition of farmers in this

dominant sector of Indian economy has been vulnerable.

14
Farmers Issues and Challenges
Major Problems faced by farmers in India are as follows.

• Unavailability of good quality of Seeds

• Lack of Modern Equipment
• Poor irrigation facilities
• Small and Fragmented Holdings of land
• Dealing with local traders and middleman
• Lack of Storage facilities
• Insufficient of water supply 
The Prospects for Indian Agriculture
are good.The agriculture sector in india
is expected to generatebettermomentum
in the root four year due to increased
investments in agriculture sector but
the next stage of reforms in agriculture
has the focus on developing institution
for better delievery system and as the
agriculture sector grows there will be
development