Facts about Indian Agriculture

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  • Largest livelihood provider in India
  • It also gives a major figure to the Gross Domestic Product.
  • Role of agriculture in Indian economy is Share in National Income; Largest Employment Providing Sector; Contribution to Capital formation; Providing Raw Material to industries; Market for Industrial Products.
  • The agricultural output depends on monsoon. Almost 60% of places sown in is dependent on rainfall.
  • India is the largest producer of milk, jute and pulses in the world.
  • Key agricultural contributing states are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
  • Programmes & law for promoting agriculture are as follows:

Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojan a (RKVY)

It is a State Plan Scheme launched in August 2007 as a part of the 11th Five Year Plan by the Government of India. The Scheme seeks to provide the States and Union Territories of India with the autonomy to draw up plans for increased public investment in agriculture so as to increase the yield of agriculture and its associated sectors and finally maximize the profits of farmers in agriculture and its associated sectors.

National Food Security Mission (NFSM)

It was launched in 2007 as a centrally-sponsored scheme with the objective of increasing the production of rice, wheat and pulses so as to ensure food security of the country. The target is to yield the gap in respect of these harvests through distribution of better technologies and farm running practices.

National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS), 1999-2000

The Government of India in co-ordination with the General Insurance Corporation of India had introduced NAIS from Rabi 1999-2000 seasons. Now Agricultural Insurance Company of India Ltd took over the implementation of NAIS.

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)

The NMSA was launched in 2008 with the objective of promoting sustainable Agriculture.

Farm Income Insurance Scheme

Farm Income Insurance Scheme was launched in January 2004 for providing insurance safe-guards and economic security to farmers. The scheme provides risk insurance for the loss in agriculture income due to adverse natural calamities and fluctuation in market prices of the agricultural crop.

Pilot Weather based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS)

WBCIS was implemented as a central sector scheme from Kharif 2007 season. The scheme is intended to provide insurance protection to farmers against adverse weather incidence.

Krishi Shramik Suraksha Yojana

KSSY was implemented on July 1, 2001. It provides life insurance protection, periodical lumpsum survival benefit and pension to those who were the age of 18-50 years. Minimum membership of the people at initiation should be at least 20. Grama Panchayat acts as nodal agency. The Sale of new policies discontinued from December 2003.

Minimum Support Price (MSP)

To encourage the agricultural products, the gov-ernment announces Minimum Support Price for important agricultural crops. Minimum Support Price is that price at which government is ready to purchase the crop from the farmers directly, if crop price falls below the MSP. Minimum Support Prices of various crops are announced on the basis of recommendations made by Commission for Agriculture Cost and Prices (CACP).

Foodgrains and Non-foodgrains

Agriculture production can be divided into two parts - Foodgrains and Non-foodgrains. The Share of food grains is two-third and non-food grains are one third.

Types of Cultivation

  • Sedentary Cultivation
  • Crop rotation
  • Shifting cultivation'
  • Mixed cropping
  • Relay cropping
  • Terrace cultivation
  • Mixed farming

Cropping Seasons

Kharif (Rainy) crops are sown in the months of June or July and harvested in the months of September or October. Important Kharif crops are Rice, Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Maize, Cotton and Jute.

Rabi (Winter) crops are sown in October/December and harvested in April/ May. Important Rabi crops are Wheat, Barley, Peas, Rape-seed, Mustard and Grams.

Zaid (Summer) crops are grown in the short periods after the harvest of the kharif and rabi crops. It is sown in April, May and June. The products are mostly fruits and vegetables.

Loans for Indian Farmers

The Three Types of loans are provided to Indian farmers to meet their financial requirements. They are Short term loans, Medium term loans and Long term loans.

Kisan Credit Card Scheme

KCCS was introduced in August 1988 for short and medium term loans to provide adequate and timely support from the banking system to the farmers for their cultivation needs including purchase of all inputs in a flexible and cost effective manner.

NABARD: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

  • It is the Apex institution of Rural Credit. It was established on 12th July 1982 by the merger of Agriculture Credit department and reconstruction of Agriculture and Development Corporation of the Reserve Bank of India. NABARD was set up on the suggestion of Shivraman Committee.
  • TRIFED: Total Co-operative Marketing Development Federation India Ltd. It was established by government in 1987 to benefit small tribal farmers.
  • NAFED: National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation India Ltd. It was established for marketing the agricultural production.
  • Agricultural Income Insurance Scheme was announced in 2004 to provide insurance safeguards and economic security to farmers.
  • Department of Agriculture and Co-operation formulated the Farm Income Insurance Scheme. National Agriculture Insurance Scheme was activated in October 1999.
  • ICDP: Integrated Cereal Development Program
  • ICAR: Indian Council of Agricultural Research. It is an Autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. It was established in 1929. The Headquarters is at New Delhi.
  • Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARD) popularly known as Pusa Institute, began in 1905 at Pusa (Bihar). It is the leading institution for agricultural research, education and extension in the country.

Agricultural Census

  • First Agricultural Census is in 1970-71. The Department of Agriculture and Co-operation is implementing Agriculture Census Scheme, quinquennially, to collect and compile data on operational holdings in the country. National Commission on Agriculture, in their report submitted in 1976, recommended that Agricultural census to be conducted on quinquennial basis.
  • Second Agricultural Census: 1976-77
  • Third Agricultural Census: 1980-81
  • Fourth Agricultural Census :1985-86
  • Tenth Agriculture Censuses have been conducted so far.

Some important facts about Agriculture

  • First Agriculture University in India is Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology. It is located at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. It has been eulogized by Nobel laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug as the 'Harbinger of Green Revolution'.
  • Seed Crop Insurance is operational since 1999-2000. Its functions include meeting contigency requirement, development infrastructure for production and distribution of seeds.
  • Assam: Biggest tea producer in the country.
  • India ranks sixth in world coffee production. The country Contributes only 4% of world coffee production.
  • India holds first position in the production of sugar-cane and also sugar.
  • India is the third largest producer of Tobacco. The largest manufacturer and buyer of tobacco is China.
  • India occupies prime position in the production of cauliflowers, second in onion and third in cabbage in the world.
  • The Corporate Company which got the patent of Basmati Rice is Rice Tech.
  • World's largest producer of pulses: India
  • Second largest producer of rice & wheat: India
  • Second largest producer of sugar, after Brazil
  • India is the world's largest producer of milk, cashew nuts, coconuts, tea, ginger, turmeric and black pepper.
  • It also has the world's largest cattle population.
  • It is the second biggest producer of wheat, sugar, rice, groundnut and domestic fish.
  • World's largest producers of food
  • Horticulture includes fruits, vegetables, flowers, plantation crops, spices, medicinal aromatic plants etc.
  • Orchid Garden of India: Arunachal Pradesh
  • Second leading producer in fruits and vegetables
  • Largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices
  • Mango City of India: Salem (Tamil Nadu)
  • Green Gold: Vanila
  • Red Gold: Saffron
  • ‘National Horticulture Mission’ was launched under the 10th five-year plan in the year 2005-06.
  • National Horticulture Board (NHB) was started by the Central Government in 1984. Its Headquarters is at Gurgaon (Haryana).
  • India has 57% of the world's buffalo population.
  • Veterinary Council of India is a corporate body formed according to the Indian Veterinary Council Act, 1984.
  • Shortest Cow: Vechur Cow (Kottayam)

Sericulture

  • World's second major raw silk producer: India. First is China.
  • Most important cottage industries of India
  • Sericulture is an art and also the science of cultivating silkworms for silk production.
  • The Indian silk sarees are world famous.

Fisheries

  • National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) was set up in 2006. The Headquarter is at Hyderabad.
  • World's third largest producer of fish : India.
  • World's second largest producer of fresh water fish: India.

States first in Production

  • Saffron - Jammu Kashmir
  • Tea - Assam
  • Spices Garden - Kerala
  • Coffee - Karnataka
  • Sandalwood - Karnataka
  • Cotton - Gujarat
  • Tobacco - Andhra Pradesh
  • Plantain - Maharashtra
  • Wheat - Uttar Pradesh
  • Sugar cane - Uttar Pradesh
  • Paddy Crop (Rice) - West Bengal
  • Coriander - Rajasthan
  • Mango - Uttar Pradesh
  • Pineapple - Assam
  • Groundnut - Andhra Pradesh
  • Bajra - Rajasthan
  • Gram - Madhya Pradesh
  • Soyabean - Madhya Pradesh
  • Sunflower - Karnataka
  • Jute - West Bengal
  • Mustard - Rajasthan
  • Barly - Uttar Pradesh
  • Cardamom - Karnataka
  • Tapioca - Kerala
  • Sesamum - Uttar Pradesh
  • Ragi - Karnataka
  • Pulses (Rabi) - Orissa
  • Pulses (Kharif) - Rajasthan
  • Maize - Uttar Pradesh
  • Ginger - Kerala
  • Chillies (dry) - Tamil Nadu
  • Cashewnut - Kerala
  • Coconut - Kerala
  • Pepper - Kerala
  • Chillies - West Bengal
  • Silk - Karnataka