Pushing Indian agriculture to the optimal point

It would be no exaggeration to say that in an over-all sense, the journey of Indian agriculture considering that independence has been quite a tale. From depravity (resulting in hand-to-mouth existence for a sizeable chunk of inhabitants post-independence) to self-sufficiency eventually ushered in by the green revolution soon after 1960’s to the present-day situation of surplus generation in quite a few crops and India getting adjudged as an agriculture powerhouse globally – it could possibly be a story with no parallels in conditions of sensible development. 

And below a single have to not forget that the reforms initiated in the early ’90s which arguably changed the fortunes of the Indian overall economy did not have a great deal target on agriculture.

In actuality, the big emphasis of that procedure was to drop the graphic of India in excess of-relying on agriculture and give it the identification of opportunity expert services and production powerhouse to draw investments. In various degrees, the region has succeeded in that mission to a significant extent in the past three decades.

Generating quick strides

But even as agriculture was pushed to the back seat (not to be equated with backburner) for very some time, the sector has built immediate strides in its own way. There has been a constant improve in foodgrain manufacturing and in the previous 10-15 a long time, the country’s agriculture sector has seen a silent revolution unfolding in the spot of horticulture (fruits and vegetables). 

In a astonishing craze that has gone unnoticed by lots of, horticulture generation which customarily has been actively playing 2nd fiddle to foodgrains, has registered a quantum leap over the past 10 years and now has taken the guide in terms of the driving property of the Indian agriculture basket.

In a cumulative perception (foodgrain and horticulture blended), India nowadays has an agriculture output base in the vicinity of 650 million tonnes – horticulture is about 325 million tonnes and 315 million tonnes for foodgrains – which is mammoth and spots India amongst the top producers in the entire world.

In most of the necessary foodgrains and now also fruits and vegetable categories, India is amongst the prime 3 producers.

Agri in a sweet place

Pretty normally, the reliable surge in generation has also given a significant improve to the resulting price-addition segments like the food items, beverage or FMCG marketplace.

They have all turn into businesses of colossal scale and measurement in the current many years. In the meantime, in current many years, emergence of start out-ups has been a important constructive trend across the economic spectrum.

And this also envelops the agriculture sector. There are a spate of well funded new entities, typically referred as agtechs or agri-techs, who are seeking to attract the broader contours of a new age agriculture technique powered by synthetic intelligence (AI), net of factors (IoT), data analytics, and many others.

Significantly away from the community glare, these new age warriors are striving to redefine Indian agriculture and the preliminary signals recommend the more substantial alterations will turn out to be visible in the coming years.

Indian agriculture almost certainly is in a sweet location today with the common strengths and the new evolving streams the place sky is the limit. The problem now is to thrust it to the exceptional position each in the qualitative and quantitative sense.

Well balanced technique is plainly the require of the day whereby benefit-addition backed by significant-close technological procedures must be encouraged. It should really be undertaken in a manner that the incremental profit unquestionably trickles down to the producers and the farmers way too.

Having attained a commendable creation level, the country ought to also aspire to develop into an agro-export powerhouse and this is an apt moment as the entire world is wanting at ‘China in addition one’ approach in agriculture far too immediately after Corona.

In simple fact, India in the last a single and 50 percent 12 months has witnessed a far more than normal surge in agri-exports and this desires to be further harnessed to profit all stakeholders and realise the purpose of doubling farmers revenue in the medium run.

A important element of a well balanced approach would also incorporate having a judicious call on the use of inputs like agro-chemical compounds and pesticides. It is no key to any one that the cultivable land in India is a lot more than China but the latter has a sizeable guide in generation quantity.

And that’s mostly since it does not have an unwarranted and sweeping adverse perspective in direction of chemical substances and pesticides. It has manufactured the most of these inputs in augmenting the creation degree.

With much more research, scientific advisories and solutions as properly as tax rationalisation on agrochemicals and pesticides, we can also press our quantitative sample to the best amount.

The writer is Group Chairman, Dhanuka Agritech Ltd

Released on


February 05, 2022