Agriculture and Land Development

Agriculture and Land Development

» Agriculture is the mainstay of the Indian Economy.
» The share of agricultural sector's capital formation in GDP declined from 1.92% in the early 1990s to 1.28% in early 2000s. This has improved to 2.12% in 2006-07.
» Agriculture and allied sectors contribute nearly 18% o I nation.il income (GNI of India), while about 60% of the population is dependent on agriculture for their livelihood.
» The agricultural output, depends on monsoon as nearly 60% of area sown in is dependent on rainfall.
» Land utilisation data is available for 92.9% of total geographical area of 3,287.3 lakh hectares.
» Agriculture accounts only for about 10.6% of the total export earnings in 2009-10.
» Figures provided by the Central Statistical Organisation reveal that between 1950-51 to 1960-61, the share of agriculture in GDP has been in the range of 55 to 52%. The share of agriculture indicated a sharp decline and reached a level of 14.6% in 2009-10.
» Importance of agriculture in the national economy is indicated by many facts, e.g.- agriculture is the main support for India's transport systems, secure bulk of their business from the movement of agricultural goods. Internal trade is mostly in agricultural products.
» Agricultural growth has direct impact on poverty eradication. It is also an important factor in containing inflation raising agricultural wages and employment generation.
» But, since 2002-03, Indian agricultural sector is almost going through a crisis—huge food grains surplus wiped out, large imports of wheat being planned and farmers' suicides more frequent all over the country.
» Besides, the allied sectors like horticulture, animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries have an important role in improving the overall economic conditions and nutrition of the rural masses.
» To maintain the ecological balance, there is need for sustainable and balanced development of both agriculture and the allied sectors.
» The Tenth Plan asserts emphatically that the agricultural sector acts as a bulwark in maintaining food security and, in the process, national security as well.
» Agricultural growth rate achieved in 9th Plan was 2.1%, while the target for the 10th Plan (2002-07) was 4% and for 11th plan (2007-12) is also 4%.
» Commercial crops are those crops which are produced for trade purpose and not for self-consumption by the farmers. It includes - Oilseeds crops, Sugar crops, Fibre crops, Narcotic crops, Beverage crops.
» To encourage the agricultural products, the government announces to minimum support price for important agricultural crops.
» The function of Agriculture Cost and Price Commission (ACPC) is to decide the minimum support prices on behalf of the government.
» Minimum Support Price (MSP) announced by the government is that price at which government is ready to purchase the crop from the farmers directly, if crop price falls below the MSP.
» For providing facilities relating to storage of agriculture products, "National Co-operative Development and Warehousing Board" was established in 1956 and "Central Warehousing Corporation" was established in 1957. Thereafter in states also the State Warehousing Corporation were established.
» The programme of High Yielding Variety Seeds was combined with a guiding project I.A.D.P. and a target was set to extend this system of development in entire country.

» The credit of green revolution in India is given to the Agriculture Scientist Dr. Norman Borlaug. However, the contribution of Dr. M.S. Swaminathan is not less. But, its termed name is the contribution of American scinentific Dr. William Gande.
» Due to horrible famine during 1965-66 and 1966-67, the government implemented the new agriculture policy of high yielding seeds so as to increase agriculture production.
» India is the largest milk producing country in the world.
» There is significant increase in the milk production to the level of 108.5 million tonnes in the year 2008-09 as compared to 53.9 million tonnes in 1990-91.
» Speedy increase in the field of milk production is called White Revolution.
» To increase the pace of White Revolution, the Operation Flood was started.
» In milk production of the country the share of Buffalo, Cow and Goat is 50%, 46% and 45% respectively.
» The Father of Operation Flood was Dr. Verghese Kurien.
» The Operation Flood was the largest integrated dairy development programme of the world. It was started by National Dairy Development Board in 1970.
» The increase in oil seeds production was due to "Yellow Revolution.
» The progress in increase of fish production was called "Blue Revolution".
» Assam is the biggest tea producer in the country.
» India ranks sixth in world coffee production and contributes only 4% of world coffee production.
» Cuba is known as the Sugar Bowl of the world. Here, sugar is made up of Beetroot.
» India holds first position in the world in the production of sugar cane and sugar.
» The importance of agriculture in the industrial sector is not only for supply of raw material, but it provides food grains for the people working in that sector and market for industrial products.