Qn:- Reasons of low productivity of agriculture, as compared to any developed countries ?
Ans;-
The agriculture sector plays a significant role in the Indian economy. Around 50% of the total Indian population is engaged in agriculture, contributing about 15% of the country’s GDP. Most of the farmers in India leaving a very marginal life due to the low productivity of their farming.
The causes are mentioned below;
1. Small and Fragmented land holdings:
Indian Agriculture is mainly dominated by small and fragmented land holdings. This makes the farmers less competent. According to the 10th Agricultural Census in 2015-16, India’s total operational land holding was 146.45 million hectares and the total operated area was 157.82 million hectares. Among them, marginal and small operational holdings together (0 – 2 ha) constituted 86.2% of the total operational holdings. Due to this fragmentation of land, farmers do not generate adequate income. This is because of difficulty in mechanization, practicing usual agricultural practices like monocropping and products which leads to deterioration of land quality. This leads to high production costs and low productivity. The root cause of this problem started due to the inheritance law.
2. Lack of Marketing and Storage facilities:
Problems faced by farmers in agricultural marketing include transportation costs, inadequate market infrastructure, price fluctuation, lack of proper market information, and the role of exploiting local traders and middlemen. Lack of storage facilities in rural areas has been a limiting factor for post-harvest losses. Nearly 16% of fruits and vegetables, 10% of oilseeds, 9% of pulses, and 6% of cereals produced are being wasted every year due to lack of storage facilities. Since most of the agricultural produce is perishable, farmers are distressed to sell the produce immediately after harvest even at lower prices.
3. Climate and Weather Patterns;
India's climate and weather significantly influence our ability to grow food and its associated costs. Various weather patterns, such as the monsoon rains, fluctuations in temperature, and regional climate variations, exert considerable impacts on agricultural production and pricing.
4. Monsoon Rains and Agriculture
The monsoon rains hold immense importance for Indian agriculture as they account for the majority of our annual precipitation. However, excessive rainfall can lead to field inundation and crop damage. Typically, the monsoon contributes between 70% to 90% of our total rainfall.
Recently, the monsoon has exhibited erratic behavior, resulting in floods and droughts. Majority of farmers depends monsoon for their farming.
5. Soil Quality and Fertility;
Soil quality and fertility are crucial for farming in India. They greatly affect how much food we can grow. Soil health depends on factors like its composition, nutrient levels, pH levels, and organic matter content. These factors influence crop growth in our country.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) emphasizes the importance of maintaining soil health to increase food production and ensure food security. They recommend regular soil testing to monitor nutrient levels. According to ICAR, nutrient deficiency in Indian soils is a significant concern, with 52% of the soils deficient in nitrogen, 50% in phosphorus, and 36% in potassium.
The texture and water-holding capacity of the soil are also important for farming.
6. Poor Adoption of Mechanization:
Regardless of the expansion of mechanization in India, most of the agricultural operation is still done by labourers. The highest level of mechanization in India about 60 – 70% is observed in plowing, harvesting, threshing, and irrigation. Although machinery has been invented in seeding, weeding, and other agricultural operations, only a few farmers use it for crop production. Due to small land holdings, small farmers find it difficult to adopt mechanization.
7. Credit Availability:
In the agriculture sector, availability and access to timely, adequate, and low-cost credit from financial institutional sources is more important, especially to marginal and small farmers. Along with all other inputs, capital is one of the most crucial inputs for increasing agricultural production. Access to credit is one of the factors influencing farm productivity.
8. Poor irrigation facilities: -
80% of water consumption in India is for irrigation in agriculture. Depletion of the groundwater table is a major factor affecting agriculture. Good irrigation helps farmers to carry out timely agricultural activities. The steady decline in the groundwater table can be noticed in recent times due to its over-exploitation as 65% of irrigation uses groundwater sources. In India, irrigation facilities are limited, and the majority of farmers are still dependent on rainfall.
10. Limited spending on R&D by Government:
Limited spending on research and development (R&D) by Government have a negative impact on farmers in agriculture including reduced productivity, increased costs, and reduced profitability. If Government spending on R&D is limited, then farmers may not have access to new technologies and practices, improved crop varieties, leading to reduced productivity and competitiveness in the market.
11. Population Pressure -
Due to the population pressure, per capita availability of land is decreasing day by day. Which leads to fragmentation of land, which causes low productivity for the farmers.
