Essay on Agriculture and Rural Development
Answers
Step-by-step explanation:
The agriculture sector continues to be the backbone of Indian economy contributing approximately 27.4% to the gross domestic product (GDP), and accounts for about 18% share, of total value of country’s export. The agricultural production has kept pace with the popular growth rate of 21 % per annum.
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Today we are second largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits, vegetables, and fresh water aquaculture; and largest exporter of spices and cashew. The late sixties and seventies were the years of Green Revolution. During Yellow Revolution oilseeds production reached up to 24.4 million tonnes.
Per capita availability of food grains went up to 528.77 g per day in 1996-97 when compared to 395 g in early fifties. Fertilizers consumption has also increased and India has become fourth in the world after USA, USSR and China. Pulse crops are grown on the largest Indian area in the world and India is the first to evolve a cotton hybrid.
Cropping pattern is changing and commercial crops and non-traditional (moong, soya bean, summer groundnut, sunflower etc.) are gradually growing more importance in line with domestic demands and export requirements. Short duration varieties have been introduced to use the residual moisture available from post-kharif and post-rabi cultivation.
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The index of agricultural production base T E 1981-82 = 100, recorded following trend
A fall of 2%: 1991-92
An increase of 4. 1 %: 1992-93
An increase of 3.8%: 1993-94
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An increase of 4.9%: 1994-95
A fall of 0.4%: 1995-96
Food grain production was quite low after Independence because high-yielding area of Punjab went to Pakistan after division of India. In 1950-51 the food grain production was 51 million tonnes but it was 193.01 million tonnes during 1999-2000 resulting in a buffer stock of 35 million tonnes.
Land:
Land utilization statistics revealed that net sown area increased from 1,187.5 lakh in 1950-51 to 1,424.2 ha in 1998-99. The relative share of food grains and non-food grains in gross increased from 404.8 lakh ha to 682.8 lakh ha in the same duration.
Crops:
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The 3 main crop seasons are – kharif, rabi and jayad. Major crops are rice, jowar, bajra, maize, cotton, sesame, soya bean and groundnut. Major rabi crops are wheat, jowar, barley, gram, linseed, rapeseed and mustard. Rice, maize and groundnlit are grown in the summer also.
Seeds:
Three types of seeds, namely, breeder, foundation and certified, are recognized by the system. Indian seed programme include central and state ICAR, SAU system, Public sector, co-operate sector and private sector institutions.
National Seeds Corporation (NSC), State Farms Corporation of India (SFCI), 13 state seed corporation (SSC) and about 100 major private sector seed companies are the main components of Indian Seed, State Seed Certification Agencies (SSCAs) and 19 State Seed Testing Laboratories (SSTLs) looks after quality control and certification. The Seeds Act, 1966, provides
(1) Legislative framework for regulation of quality of seeds sold in the country.
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(2) System of certification of seeds sold in India.
(3) Notification of varieties, a pre-requisite certification Administration of the Act and quality control of seeds to look after by control solved committee and its various sub-committees and Central Seed Certification Board.
Seed has been declared an essential commodity under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. The Seed (Control) Order 1983, was promulgated to control and regulate the seed production and distribution. The new seed policy on seed development has been in operation since 1988.
The main aim of seed policy is to makes available the best quality seed planting material “to farmer” anywhere in the world. Plants, fruits and seeds (Regulation of import into India) Order, 1989, regulates the plant quarantine clearance. Export of