Explain the importance of agriculture sector in India.pdf

As per 2018, agriculture employed more than 50% of the Indian work force and contributed 17–18% to country's GDP. In 2016, agriculture and allied sectors like animal husbandry, forestry and fisheries accounted for 15.4% of the GDP (gross domestic product) with about 41.49% of the workforce in 2020.
Importance of Agriculture Sector in India:
The agriculture sector plays a pivotal role in the Indian economy, contributing significantly to the country's GDP, employment, and food security. Several factors underline the importance of agriculture in India:
Contribution to GDP: Agriculture is a vital contributor to India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Although its share in GDP has declined over the years due to the growth of other sectors, a substantial population still depends on agriculture for livelihood.
Employment Generation: Agriculture remains the largest employer in India, providing livelihoods to a significant percentage of the population, especially in rural areas. The sector supports the livelihoods of millions of farmers, farm laborers, and those engaged in ancillary activities.
Food Security: Agriculture is the primary source of food production, ensuring the availability of food grains, fruits, vegetables, and other essential commodities. A robust agricultural sector is crucial for national food security.
Raw Material for Industries: Agriculture is a source of raw materials for various industries, including textiles, agro-processing, and pharmaceuticals. A vibrant agricultural sector contributes to the growth of these industries.
Export Earnings: Agricultural products, such as rice, wheat, spices, and fruits, contribute significantly to India's export earnings. The agriculture sector plays a role in global trade and helps generate foreign exchange.
Factors of Low Agricultural Productivity in India:
Land Fragmentation: Small and fragmented landholdings are prevalent in India, leading to suboptimal use of resources and hindering the adoption of modern farming techniques.
Outdated Farming Practices: Many farmers in India continue to rely on traditional and outdated farming methods, leading to lower productivity. Limited access to modern agricultural technology and practices contributes to this challenge.
Inadequate Irrigation Facilities: A large portion of agricultural land in India depends on rainfall, making crops vulnerable to droughts. Uneven and inadequate irrigation infrastructure hampers the consistent supply of water to crops.
Low Mechanization Levels: The use of machinery and technology in Indian agriculture is relatively low. Manual labor-intensive farming practices contribute to inefficiency and lower productivity.
Input Subsidies and Pricing Policies: Distorted input subsidies and pricing policies can lead to imbalances in resource allocation, affecting the overall productivity of the agricultural sector.

1. Q)ExplaintheimportanceofagriculturesectorinIndia.Explainthefactorsoflow
agriculturalproductivityinIndianagriculturesector.Suggestthemeasuresto
improvetheproductivity.?
Asper2018,agricultureemployedmorethan50%oftheIndianworkforceandcontributed
17–18%tocountry'sGDP.In2016,agricultureandalliedsectorslikeanimalhusbandry,
forestryandfisheriesaccountedfor15.4%oftheGDP(grossdomesticproduct)withabout
41.49%oftheworkforcein2020.
ImportanceofAgricultureSectorinIndia:
TheagriculturesectorplaysapivotalroleintheIndianeconomy,contributingsignificantlyto
thecountry'sGDP,employment,andfoodsecurity.Severalfactorsunderlinetheimportance
ofagricultureinIndia:
1.ContributiontoGDP:AgricultureisavitalcontributortoIndia'sGrossDomestic
Product(GDP).AlthoughitsshareinGDPhasdeclinedovertheyearsduetothe
growthofothersectors,asubstantialpopulationstilldependsonagriculturefor
livelihood.

2. 2.EmploymentGeneration:AgricultureremainsthelargestemployerinIndia,
providinglivelihoodstoasignificantpercentageofthepopulation,especiallyinrural
areas.Thesectorsupportsthelivelihoodsofmillionsoffarmers,farmlaborers,and
thoseengagedinancillaryactivities.
3.FoodSecurity:Agricultureistheprimarysourceoffoodproduction,ensuringthe
availabilityoffoodgrains,fruits,vegetables,andotheressentialcommodities.A
robustagriculturalsectoriscrucialfornationalfoodsecurity.
4.RawMaterialforIndustries:Agricultureisasourceofrawmaterialsforvarious
industries,includingtextiles,agro-processing,andpharmaceuticals.Avibrant
agriculturalsectorcontributestothegrowthoftheseindustries.
5.ExportEarnings:Agriculturalproducts,suchasrice,wheat,spices,andfruits,
contributesignificantlytoIndia'sexportearnings.Theagriculturesectorplaysarole
inglobaltradeandhelpsgenerateforeignexchange.
FactorsofLowAgriculturalProductivityinIndia:
1.LandFragmentation:SmallandfragmentedlandholdingsareprevalentinIndia,
leadingtosuboptimaluseofresourcesandhinderingtheadoptionofmodernfarming
techniques.
2.OutdatedFarmingPractices:ManyfarmersinIndiacontinuetorelyontraditional
andoutdatedfarmingmethods,leadingtolowerproductivity.Limitedaccessto
modernagriculturaltechnologyandpracticescontributestothischallenge.
3.InadequateIrrigationFacilities:AlargeportionofagriculturallandinIndiadepends
onrainfall,makingcropsvulnerabletodroughts.Unevenandinadequateirrigation
infrastructurehamperstheconsistentsupplyofwatertocrops.
4.LowMechanizationLevels:TheuseofmachineryandtechnologyinIndian
agricultureisrelativelylow.Manuallabor-intensivefarmingpracticescontributeto
inefficiencyandlowerproductivity.
5.InputSubsidiesandPricingPolicies:Distortedinputsubsidiesandpricingpolicies
canleadtoimbalancesinresourceallocation,affectingtheoverallproductivityofthe
agriculturalsector.
6.LimitedAccesstoCredit:Manysmallandmarginalfarmersfacechallengesin
accessingcreditforpurchasingseeds,fertilizers,andmodernagriculturalequipment.
Thishamperstheirabilitytoinvestinimprovingproductivity.
7.CropResidueBurning:Thepracticeofcropresidueburning,particularlyinnorthern
India,leadstoenvironmentaldegradationandcontributestoairpollution.Italso
negativelyaffectssoilhealthandproductivity.
8.LackofDiversification:Excessivefocusontraditionalcropsandinadequate
diversificationintohigh-valuecropsandhorticulturelimitsincomeopportunitiesfor
farmers.
MeasurestoImproveAgriculturalProductivity:
1.LandReforms:Implementinglandconsolidationandreformstoaddressland
fragmentationcanleadtomoreefficientlanduseandincreasedproductivity.
2.TechnologicalAdoption:Encouragingfarmerstoadoptmodernagricultural
technologies,includingprecisionfarming,useofhigh-yieldingcropvarieties,and
efficientirrigationtechniques,canenhanceproductivity.

3. 3.IrrigationInfrastructureDevelopment:Investinginirrigationinfrastructure,
includingcanals,dams,andwatermanagementsystems,canhelpensureconsistent
watersupplytocrops.
4.Mechanization:Promotingtheuseofmodernfarmingmachineryandequipmentcan
reducedependenceonmanuallaborandimproveoverallefficiency.
5.AccesstoCredit:Ensuringeasieraccesstocreditforsmallandmarginalfarmers
canenablethemtoinvestinqualityinputs,machinery,andtechnology,leadingto
improvedproductivity.
6.CropDiversification:Encouragingfarmerstodiversifyintohigh-valuecrops,
horticulture,andorganicfarmingcanenhanceincomelevelsandreducedependence
ontraditionalcrops.
7.ResearchandDevelopment:Investinginagriculturalresearchandextension
servicescanleadtothedevelopmentofcropvarietiesthatareresistanttopestsand
diseases,aswellasmoreresilienttochangingclimaticconditions.
8.EffectivePriceSupportMechanisms:Implementingtransparentandeffectiveprice
supportmechanismsforagriculturalproducecanprovidefarmerswithafairincome
andincentivizeproductivityimprovements.
9.SkillDevelopment:Providingtrainingandskilldevelopmentprogramsforfarmersto
enhancetheirknowledgeofmodernagriculturalpracticesandtechnologies.
10.EnvironmentalSustainability:Promotingsustainablefarmingpractices,including
organicfarmingandagroecology,cancontributetolong-termsoilhealthand
environmentalconservation.
11.GovernmentPolicies:Formulatingandimplementingfarmer-centricpoliciesthat
addressissuessuchaspricing,subsidies,andriskmanagementcancontributeto
theoverallimprovementoftheagriculturalsector.
Addressingthefactorscontributingtolowagriculturalproductivityrequiresamulti-faceted
approachinvolvingthegovernment,privatesector,andfarmersthemselves.Aholistic
strategythatencompassestechnologyadoption,infrastructuredevelopment,andpolicy
reformsisessentialforachievingsustainableagriculturalgrowthinIndia.

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