CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENTS

 “CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENTS”

Introduction:

            Agricultural sector has a vital role in the economic development of the country but in agricultural productivity our country average is among the lowest in the world.  Our country has the climate, resources and skills to become the major player in the world market.  Agriculture sector has contributed to be the backbone of Indian economy and even today 70 percent of the country’s population is engaged in agriculture.  Here, we explain the different dimension of Indian agriculture and facing challenges opportunities for its developments.

Indian Agriculture in Global Setting:

            Agriculture continues to be the bedrock of the Indian economy.  It contributes 33% of the GDP and provides employment, Indian agriculture accounts 3/5th of its population and India’s share on world area is only 2.46%.  Indian is the second largest producer of what next to china.  India’s yield rate is 2569kg where as china’s yield rate is 3787kg per ha.  India has the largest area under rice in the world and it came second in production.  India ranked second both in world area under sugarcane and world sugar cane output.  Its share in world production was 22.5%.  India is the dominant producer of jute its world production share was 53.3%. India has a competitive advantage in agriculture due to its low cost structure.  Increase in agricultural production as a beneficial multiplies effect on rural prosperity.  Increasing demand from both the domestic and foreign markets tends to ensure higher prices for the formers. 

Challenges of Indian Agriculture:

            India must undertake much agricultural reform in order to avail of the opportunities.  The reforms both price and non-price reforms. i.e.

• Fixation of MSP, PP and issue price
• Procurement by FCI and other agencies
• Supply of food grains and other essential items PD’s
• Input pricing policy.
• Improve quality standard
• Imparting training to the farmers

Opportunities of Indian Agriculture sector:

            India has the potential to become the global leader in agriculture.  There is now          over-whelming evidence available to prove that India has higher competitive advantage its competition in exporting many agricultural products.  India has a good research infrastructure for generating new technology for improving the yield and quality of agricultural produce.  If India will be achieved the increased productivity, reduced the cost of productions, percent of out put and better quality of product.  All this would help to improve the competitiveness of India’s agricultural produce in international markets. WTO restricts to export some of agri products except wheat, grains, sugar, pulse in bulk almost all other agri-products.  India has emerged as a major exporter of basmati and non-basmati rice and with its comparative advantage in agri production, is able to meet the higher standards of quality of export of agricultural food products.

Threats of Indian Agricultural Sector

            The globalization has provided the developing countries like India, an access to the world market but at the same time they are being restricted through various Trade and Non-Trade barriers by the developed countries.  India has comparative advantages of diverse agro-climatic conditions and low cost skilled labours.  To an extent these are negated by low productivity and poor quality of products.  

Problems of Indian Agriculture

• Poor availability of quality seeds and planting materials
• Lack of modern cultural and cultivation practices
• Delay and limited application of irrigation and technologies
• Scattered use of crop protection techniques
• Slow development of harvest and post harvest technologies
• Lack of adequate facilities like logistics transport and road network.
• Over crowding in agriculture
• Discouraging rural atmosphere
•  Inadequate non-farm services (finance, management, storage)
• Dependence on Monsoon
• Size of Land holding
• Pattern of Land tenure
• Poor techniques of production
• Inadequate irrigation facilities

Agro – industries in Economic Development:-

            Economic development is dependent on effective and meaningful integration of its agriculture with Industry.  Industries manufacturing inputs are from agriculture field or processing agricultural output.  In the present economic scenario, agro Industries constitute the back bone of an economy.  Agro-processing industries include food processing Industry.  Horticulture crops which include process fruits and vegetables, species and medicinal plants, dairy, livestock, products, fishery sector (marine fish products).  These industries have multiple facts in our economy and it changes in the course of development.  It encourages investment in background and forward linkages.  For example on the basis of forest industries some other paper industries established then large number of conversation industries like paper bags, stationery, boxes, cartoons, wooden container, furnish other timber products etc.,

Need of agricultural education for Agriculture development:

• Agriculture is the back bone of the Indian economy and accounts for 40% of GNP and 25% of total export of the country.
• India has been endowed with highly diverse agro climatic settings with 126 cones and 15 resource development regions.
• Increasing demand for food production and security
• Achieve high quality and quality of food production from Agri – filed
• Using improved crop production technologies
• Effective communication among the farming community

Therefore, there is greater need for integrated efforts to promote and facilitate agricultural education for sustainable development.  The course contents should be incorporated in the curriculum of agri-education.  Then only our Indian agriculture faces the challenging future.

The National Development Council approved the 11th plan (2007-12) seeking to achieve a 9% growth, besides giving top most priority to agriculture. With 9% growth, India would be firmly placed in the front ranks of fast growing developing countries. Agriculture as a whole is in crisis. Our Prime Minister Dr.Singh said, with about half of the rural population dependent on it income. Growth in the agriculture sector has been less than 2% per annum since the middle of the 1990’s. He also outlined the road map for achieving 10% growth approach correctly identified the weakness in general infrastructure as a major constraint to achieving double-digit growth. All state Chief Ministers laid emphasis on the critical role of agriculture and the need to go ahead with the project for interlinking of rivers.

Conclusion:-

            Indian agriculture depends on monsoonal rain due to lack of irrigation facilities and pegged by naturals vagaries. The significant development of agriculture in India, we should correctly identified the weakness in general infrastructure as a major constraint to achieve desirable growth. Also our Indian Govt. takes necessary action to interlinking of rivers. Then only our agriculture goal will be achieved. It is not the time to curse the darkness but the time to light a candle and make India to emerge as a global leader.

Reference:-

Regenerating Agriculture by Jules N Pretty Published by Vikas Publication

Agriculture Economy of India by S.Sankaran

KISSAN WROLD     Oct 2003, Nov 2003, Sept 2005, May 2005, Nov 2005, Apr 2006, Feb 2006, June 2006, Aug 2006

Kuru Kshetra Dec 2005, Feb 2006, Apr 2005, Jan 2005, Mar 2006.