Question

Indian agriculture suffers from certain problems justify

Answer 1

poor technology
unskilled labour
lack of awareness programs
unavailability of quality fertilizer

Answer 2

The following points will highlight the seven major problems of Indian agriculture.
Problem # 1. Instability:
Agriculture in India is largely depends on monsoon. As a result, production of food-grains fluctuates year after year. A year of abundant output of cereals is often followed by a year of acute shortage.
This, in its turn, leads to price income and employment fluctuations. However, for the thirteen year, in successive (1987-88 to 1999-00) a normal monsoon has been observed.
Problem # 2. Cropping Pattern:
The crops that are grown in India are divided into two broad catego­ries: food crops and non-food crops. While the former comprise food-grains, sugarcane and other beverages, the latter includes different kinds of fibres and oilseeds.
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In recent years there has occurred a fall in agricultural production mainly due to fall in the output of non-food articles. Moreover rabi production has become as important as kharif production in the late 1990s. In 1999-2000, for example, of the total grain production of 209 mn. tones, rabi accounted for 104 mn. tones. This indicates a structural change in agricultural production.
Problem # 3. Land Ownership:
Although the ownership of agricultural land in India is fairly widely distributed, there is some degree of concentration of land holding. Inequality in land distribution is also due to the fact that there are frequent changes in land ownership in India. It is believed that large parcels of land in India are owned by a- relatively small section of the rich farmers, landlords and money-lenders, while the vast majority of farmers own very little amount of land, or no land at all.
Moreover, most holdings are small and uneconomic. So the advantages of large-scale farming cannot be derived and cost per unit with ‘uneconomic’ holdings is high, output per hectare is hectare is low. As a result peasants cannot generate sufficient marketable surplus. So they are not only poor but are often in debt.
Problem # 4. Sub-Division and Fragmentation of Holding:
Due to the growth of population and breakdown of the joint family system, there has occurred continuous sub-division of agricultural land into smaller and smaller plots. At times small farmers are forced to sell a portion of their land to repay their debt. This creates further sub-division of land.
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Sub-division, in its turn, leads to fragmentation of holdings. When the size of holdings become smaller and smaller, cultivation becomes uneconomic. As a result a major portion of land is not brought under the plough.
Such sub-division and fragmentation make the efficient use of land virtually impossible and add to the difficulties of increasing capital equipment on the farm. All these factors account for the low productivity of Indian agriculture.
Problem # 5. Land Tenure:
The land tenure system of India is also far from perfect. In the pre-independence period, most tenants suffered from insecurity of tenancy. They could be evicted any time. However, various steps have been taken after Independence to provide security of tenancy.
Problem # 6. Conditions of Agricultural Labourers:
The conditions of most agricultural labourers in India are far from satisfactory. There is also the problem of surplus labour or disguised unemployment. This pushes the wage rates below the subsistence levels.
Problem # 7. Other Problems:
There are various other problems of Indian agriculture.
These are related to:
(i) The systems and techniques of farming,
(ii) The marketing of agricultural products and