write a short note on the importance of agricultural reforms in india
Answers
04 Apr 2020 12 min read
Tags: GS Paper - 3Direct & Indirect Farm SubsidiesAgricultural MarketingAgricultural PricingGrowth & Development
This article is based on “Reforming Indian Agriculture” which was published in Economic and Political Weekly on 14/03/2020. It talks about challenges and solutions pertaining to India’s Agriculture sector.
India’s agriculture policies have had multiple mandates, including a production imperative (national food security), a consumer imperative (keeping food prices low for a large low-income population), and a farmer welfare imperative (raising farmer’s income).
Tensions between these mandates have resulted in costly, contradictory policies whose costs have been increasingly borne by farmers, the government purse, and the natural environment.
Realising the significance of Agriculture in India’s socio-economic order, the government has set an agenda of doubling farmer incomes by raising productivity and cutting down costs, and going for diversification towards high value agriculture.
However, Indian Agriculture is in the need for many fundamental reforms.
Significance of Agriculture in India
Highest Employment Provider: More Indians depend directly or indirectly on agriculture for employment than on any other sector.
Addresses Malnutrition and provides food security: Agriculture holds a key to reducing India’s malnutrition problem, directly affecting public health and worker productivity.
Augmenting Economic Growth: Agriculture has the potential to spur India’s overall gross domestic product (GDP) growth.
Agricultural growth of 4%, would add at least a percentage point to GDP, increase exports and improve India’s trade deficit.
Economic transformation in developing nations is propelled by increases in agricultural incomes underpinning industrial growth. For example, China's economic growth.
India’s vital land and water resources, which farmers used for agricultural production, assumes more significance especially in the face of mounting scarcity, environmental degradation, and climate change.
Actions Taken by Government to Increase Farmer Income
Subsidizing Input Costs: Providing water,power and fertilizer subsidies to decrease production costs.
Green Revolution: Increasing yields through better farming practices and timely availability of quality inputs, especially high yielding seeds, chemical fertilisers and water.
Stabilizing Output Prices: Through minimum support prices (MSP) and public procurement.
Augmenting Non-Crop related Agriculture Income: KUSUM scheme.
Providing Direct Income Transfers to Farmers: Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN).
pls pls vote me pls mark me brainlest
pls follow me