Challenges faced in Present Indian Agriculture. Future Prospects of Agriculture in India (Expected) "Everything Else Can Wait But Not Agriculture". - Jawaharlal Nehru

1. Indian Agricultural Concerns
and
Future Prospects of Agriculture in India
By
Devina Seram, Ph.D.

2. Introduction – Indian Agriculture at a Glance
Agriculture in India - a profession for thousands of
years – started about 9000 BCE
Made rapid progress since independence – with the
introduction of HYVs (Green Rev. in 1965), chemical
fertilizers, etc.
Transformed from food shortage and import to self-
sufficient food production and export market

3. Introduction – Indian Agriculture at a Glance
Transformed from subsistence and conventional
farming to intensive and technology led crop
cultivation
At present – India is the front ranking producer of
many crops – holding 2nd position in agricultural
production all over the world
Marked by the introduction of green, white, blue,
yellow revolutions (and others)

5. Agricultural Revolutions (in India)
Green Revolution Food grains (HYV seeds esp. wheat) (MS Swaminathan)
White Revolution Milk / dairy (Operation Flood) (Verghese Kurien)
Blue Revolution Fish (Dr. Arun Krishnan)
Yellow Revolution Oilseeds (Sam Pitroda)
Brown Revolution Leather industry / Cocoa (Hirlal Chaudri)
Black Revolution Petroleum
Red Revolution Meat and tomato (Vishal Tiwari)
Round Revolution Potato
Silver Revolution Egg / poultry (Indira Gandhi)
Silver Fibre Revolution Cotton
Golden Fibre Revolution Jute
Golden Revolution Fruits / Overall Horticulture / Honey (Nirpakh Tutej)
Green Gold Revolution Promotion and trade of Bamboo products
Grey Revolution Fertilizers
Pink Revolution Onion / Prawn / Pharmaceutical (Durgesh Patel)
Evergreen Revolution Overall development of Agriculture (MS Swaminathan)

6. Indian Agriculture: Production Statistics
 Grain production (2018-19) – 281 million tons
 Storage capacity (2018) – 87.7 million tons
 Horticultural production (2018-19) – 314.87 million tons
 Cold storage capacity (2018-19) – 37 million tons
 Milk production (2016-17) – 165 million tons
 During last 15 years, status of agricultural products:
Imports – 3-8 % total imports
Exports (2018) – 13 % of total exports
 Agricultural trade surplus (2018) – 14.6 billion (US dollar)
 Main imports – vegetable oils, pulses
 Main exports – cereals, marine products,
cashew, tea

7. Indian Agriculture in Global Ranking (2017-18)
Total cropped area 7th
Irrigated cropped area 1st
Population (general) 2nd
Economically Active
Population (agriculture)
2nd
Total cereals 3rd
Wheat 2nd
Rice 2nd
Coarse grains 4th
Total pulses 1st
Oilseeds 2nd
Fruits and Vegetables 2nd
Milk 1st
Livestock (cattle,
buffaloes)
1st
Implements (tractor) 2nd
1st rank:
• Population, Economically active population, total
cereals, wheat, rice, oilseeds, fruits – China
• Implements (tractors) - US
2nd rank:
Total cereals - US

8.  Backbone of Indian economy
 Contributes to overall economic
growth
 Agriculture contribution to India’s
GDP = 17 % (2017-18)
 Determines the standard of life for > 50% population
 India’s population - expected to be 1.6 billion by 2050
 May require annual food grain production of 333 m
tonnes – i.e. an increase in production of >1/3rd
Importance of Agriculture in India

9. Concerns / Challenges before Indian Agriculture (Overall)
A. Resource constraints:
1) Small and fragmented land holdings
2) Problem of Irrigation facilities and monsoon dependency
3) Shortage of good quality seeds (for small, marginal farmers)
4) Soil erosion
Operational land holding - Land used wholly or partly for
agricultural production and is operated as one technical unit by
one person alone or with others, without regard to title, legal
form, size or location
Land fragmentation - A phenomenon which exists when a
household operates a number of owned or rented non-
contiguous plots at. the same time (Wu et al., 2005)
It is a situation where a farming household possesses several
non-contiguous land plots, often scattered.

10. Concerns / Challenges before Indian Agriculture (Overall)
B. Agronomic and other constraints:
5) Imbalanced and irrational use of Fertilizers & Pesticides
6) Lack of mechanization – small/marginal farms
7) Lack of post-harvest management (PHM) and marketing
facilities
– Inadequate storage, transport and cold chain facilities
8) Scarcity of capital and subsidy (Govt. schemes do not
reach small farmers)
9) Climate change effects
10) Shortage of manpower/labour

11. 1. Small and fragmented land holding size
 Decreasing size of land holding –
the most important concern
 86 % farmers or food growers in
India are smallholders or marginal
 Land holding declines from
- 2.30 ha in the 70s to
1.32 ha in 2000 – 2001
 In future – average size would be a
mere - 0.68 ha in 2020
- 0.32 ha in 2030

12. • Problem of small and fragmented holdings – more
serious in densely populated, intensively cultivated
states (Kerala, WB, Bihar, UP Eastern parts)
• Average size of land holding = < 1 ha or < 0.5 ha
(in general) (in certain parts)

14.  Lack of proper irrigation facility
 Indian farmers depend on monsoons
– no proper irrigation source/facility
 Scarcity of water
 In India, only 34 % of water resources available to meet the
increasing demands of agriculture
 Quality and availability of water
– major factors affecting irrigation in crop production
(perishable items – fruits, vegetables)
 According to PAI (Population Action International) – hydrological
poverty (water scarcity) in the world feared by 2025
2. Problems of Irrigation and dependency on monsoons

15.  Irrigation – most important parameter for agriculture
- with timely and sufficient supply of water
 Most farmers – dependent on electric water pumps for
irrigation which demands electricity
 Frequent, intermittent and low
voltage supply of power to
agricultural sector has caused
problems to farmers who are
spending their time monitoring
the supply of power (without
which their work cannot start)
Irrigation
Techniques
(2000 – 2001)

16. Importance of Irrigation
 Variability in rainfall – variation in quantity, incidence and
duration
 Unequal distribution of rainfall – eg. Windward and leeward
side
 Meeting crop requirement and soil needs – eg. Rice,
sugarcane need more water and irrigation even in areas of
heavy rain
 Sandy soil requires frequent water supply than alluvial or
black soil
 To maximize production – to facilitate double and triple
cropping
 Many Indian rivers are not perennial

17. Water resources in India – Current situation
(Rainfall)
 High dependence on ground water
(rainfall)
 Over extraction of ground water
for irrigation
 Uncontrolled deforestation
 Neglect of traditional practices
and systems, including rain water
harvesting
 Inadequate integrated water
management and watershed
development
 Emerging water quality problems

19.  Availability of good quality seeds of
improved crop cultivars
- considered crucial for realizing
productivity in different agro-
climatic zones
 Quality of seeds alone
- account for 10-15% increase in
overall productivity (ICAR, 1993)
 Lack of quality seeds - continues to
be one of the greatest
impediments to bridging the vast
yield gap
3. Shortage of good quality seeds

20.  Soil erosion - Increasing due to
deforestation, erratic rainfall
 Soil erosion – degraded 120.72
million ha of land in India
 8.4 m ha area – soil salinity and
water-logging problems
 Water table and water quality
deterioration
(surface and sub-surface water)
4. Soil Erosion from agricultural fields

21. 1) Low and imbalanced fertilization
2) Excessive tillage and use of heavy machinery
3) Crop residue burning and inadequate organic
matter inputs
4) Poor irrigation and water
management
5) Poor crop rotation
6) Pesticide overuse and soil
pollution
7) Shifting cultivation
Agricultural activities leading to soil erosion/degradation

23.  Without considering
recommended doses
 Environmental, health problems
5. Imbalanced and irrational use of Fertilizers & Pesticides

24.  Indian Govt., top research institute report:
– 60 % of agrl. land at risk due to:
– fertilizers misuse, poor cropping pattern, soil nutrient def.

25. Negative effects

27.  Agronomic practices – cultural methods
 Use of resistant varieties of crops
 Biological control and bio-pesticides
 Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
 Integrated Disease Management (IDM)
 Integrated Weed Management (IWM)
 Agro-ecological engineering – trap crops
 Organic agriculture
 Use of less hazardous pesticides
Strategies for pesticides usage reduction

28.  Mechanization - major hurdle showing very slow progress
 Overall level in India – 40 to 45 %
 Only tractors & harvesters (in limited states)
 One of the leading countries for manufacture of tractor,
agrl. implements and equipment
 Lacking behind to develop mechanization for small &
marginal land holdings
6. Lack of Farm Mechanization

29.  Level of mechanization - varies from region to region
 High level – Punjab, Haryana, Western UP – 70 to 80 %
- due to high productive land, decreased agrl.
workers, full support by state govt.
 Lower level – Eastern (WB, Orissa), Southern (Kerala, TN,
AP, Karnataka,) states – 35 to 45 %
- due to small and scattered land holdings
 Extremely low – North-Eastern states (> 10%)
- due to hilly topography, high transportation
cost, low socio-economic conditions of farmers
Level of Farm Mechanization in India

30. Problems of farmers related to Farm Mechanization
1) Small size and scattered land holdings
2) Financial inability of the small farmers
3) Lack of proper knowledge about farm machineries
4) Lack of repair and replacement facilities especially
in remote rural areas
5) Limited availability of sale outlets
6) Lack of accessibility for procurement, repair and
maintenance

31.  30% of harvest, post-harvest
economic losses – fruits, vegs.
(although it comprised only
13.6% of total production)
 Indian farmers incur Rs.
92,651 crore per year in post-
harvest losses - primary
causes of which are poor
storage and lack of transport
facilities
(for not being able to sell their
produces)
7. Lack of PHM and marketing facilities

32. 1) Immature / premature / over mature harvest
2) Faulty post-harvest practices
3) Poor sorting and grading practices
4) Poor tempt., and R Humidity management in storage
5) Improper packing and washing
6) Delay and improper transport to market
7) Causes of exogenous factors
(rot, disease, insects)
8) Lack of knowledge on
post-harvest techniques
9) Inadequate storage facility
Causes of Post-harvest losses

33. (OVERALL)

34.  Majority of the market is
still un-organized
 Low acceptability of the
consumer base
 Less penetration to the
rural market
 Lack of transparent pricing
system
Lack of marketing facility

35.  Lack of initial investment - farmers
 Less or no support from central or
state govt. (most cases)
 Govt. subsidy (or incentive) to
farmers for fertilizers, electricity,
irrigation increased >8 folds from
1990-91 to 2006-07
 Areas receiving highest subsidies
(Northern, Central regions)
regularly outperform those with
lower subsidy (South, NE regions)
8. Scarcity of Capital and Govt. subsidy
Agriculture subsidies are
payments by the Govt. to
producers/farmers
of agrl. products for the
purpose of stabilizing
food prices, ensuring
plentiful food
production, guaranteeing
farmers' basic incomes,
and generally
strengthening
the agricultural segment
of our national economy

36. 9. Climate Change – Projected impacts on Indian Agri.

37. Major Challenges faced by present Indian Farmers
Crop failure
Due to
Climate
change
Most devastating (yearly)
Drought
Flood
Hailstorm Storm/Heavy wind

38. 10. Shortage of agricultural labour

39. 1) Higher wages in other jobs available locally
2) Shifting to a regular / permanent job since
agricultural job is seasonal
3) Agriculture labour is presumed to be a low
esteemed job
4) Migration to nearby city for higher wages
5) Migration to foreign countries
6) Low social status
Reasons for agricultural labour shortage

40. Challenges in Indian agriculture (Farmers’ perspective)
1) Natural calamity - one of the biggest problems
- all over India
- flood, drought, hailstorm, storm, etc.
2) Low productivity - in South and West India
3) Lack of irrigation facilities - in East and Central India
4) Labour related issues - in North India
5) Low income from crop cultivation
6) Low farm price
7) Inflation - increased price in agricultural commodity
8) Depressed economy - a severe and prolonged downturn
in economic activity (measured by GDP)
9) Crop destruction/failure through different agents

41. • 58% farmers – blame state and central govts. for problems
• 22% farmers – hold central govt. accountable
• 20% farmers – state govt.
 Reasons for crop destruction/failure:
- drought, flood, pest attack, disease, erratic rainfall,
animal/bird attack, lack of irrigation facility, others
 Reasons for Farmers’ suicide:
• 41% farmers – due to domestic problems
• 35% farmers – inability to repay loans (govt./private)
• 14% farmers – crop failure/destruction
 Among these, 58% farmers – no irrigation facilities
Indian Farmers’ Perspectives (2013-14 report)

42. Future Prospects of
Agriculture in India

43. Prospects of development in Indian Agriculture
 Gross Value Added (GVA) for agriculture sector - 17.67
trillion (INR) in 2018 over production base of 285 m tonnes
 Agri. sector - likely to grow at 2% yearly (approx.)
 Being a key economic driver – agri. sector needs to adapt
(and combat) to the various challenges that it is facing
today
 Analysis of different agricultural issues (on one hand) and
improvements in the field of new technologies adoption
(on the other) - reveals that there are good prospects of
economic development through agriculture
 To give a boost in stagnant agricultural growth - a shift from
concentrating on India’s food security to focusing on
farmers' income security must be made

44. 1) Conservation of natural resources and protection of
environment
2) Utilization of vast untapped potential of India’s soil and
water resources (including farming systems)
3) Technology revolution - especially in areas of molecular
biology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, remote sensing, GIS,
ecology and management
4) Revolution in informatics, communication, Internet of things
- the opportunity of linking farmers, extension workers and
scientists with national (ikisan) and international databases
Steps to be taken – For a Better Agriculture Tomorrow

45. WEB PORTAL related to Agricultural
Information – crops, varieties, animals,
fertilizers, weather, horticultural crops,
rural credit, ETC.

46. Future Agriculture in India – Aims to Achieve
 Produce more with less labour
 New plant hybrids, animal
breeds
 New agrl. Production practices
 Greater efficiency in agrl.
utilization of water (WUE )
 Wireless soil sensor irrigation
system
 Genetically Modified crops
 Precious input planting and
fertilizers
 Use of nano-fertilizers

47. WIRELESS SOIL SENSOR
- An irrigation controller directly
linked to absolute moisture
requirement of a site’s soil type
https://www.rainbird.com/products/smrt-y-soil-moisture-sensor

48. Agricultural Sector – Vision 2030
Main goal:
INCOME GENERATION,
PROFIT MAXIMIZATION

50.  For the upliftment of farmers
 Prerequisites for success of Evergreen Revolution:
1) Promoting soil health
2) Promoting lab to land exhibition
3) Making rain water harvesting (WUE) compulsory
4) Providing credit to farmers on suitable conditions
5) Proper marketing facilities
6) Sufficient number of go-downs (PHM-storage facilities)
7) Promoting cultivation of “nutri-cereals” (2018-National year of)
 Nutri-cereals:
Millet crops (true and pseudomillets) - native of India - popularly
known as Nutri-cereals as they provide most of the nutrients
required for normal functioning of human body
- gluten free and non- allergenic, rich dietary fibre
Call for “Evergreen Revolution”
Green Revolution
World Food Prize
in 1987

51. Pseudocerels eg. GRAIN AMARANTH
BUCKWHEAT - Polygonaceae
Amaranthus spp.

52.  Commodity-centered
increase in productivity
Includes:
 HYVs of crops
 Chemical fertilizers
 Change in plant
architecture, harvest
index
 Change in physiological
rhythm – insensitive to
photoperiodism
 Lodging resistance
 Increasing productivity while
maintaining overall sustainability
Organic agriculture – cultivation without any
use of chemical inputs
Green agriculture – cultivation including IPM,
INM, NUE, integrated natural resource
management systems
Eco-agriculture – Aims at conservation of
soil, water, biodiversity with application of
ITK
EM agriculture – farming using effective
microorganisms (EMO)
White agriculture – substantial use of m/os
(esp. fungi)
One-straw Revolution – natural farming
without tillage, fertilizers, weeding,
pesticides, etc.
Green Revolution Vs. Evergreen Revolution

53.  Government of India’s scheme promoted by
Department of Agriculture & Co-operation (under
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare)
 Implemented through Dept. of Agri. of states and UTs
SHC – Printed report given to farmers about soil nutrient
status of their land holdings, advice on recommended
fertilizers and soil amendments - that is required to
maintain soil health in the long run
 contain status of soil wrt 12 parameters - N,P,K
(macro); S (Secondary); Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Bo (micro); and
soil physical parameters (pH, EC, etc.)

55. MEANS AND
ADVANTAGES

56. Promotion

57.  Organic farming - A production system which avoids or
largely excludes the use of synthetically manufactured
fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators, genetically
modified organisms and livestock food additives
Advantages:
 Maintain and improve fertility, soil structure and
biodiversity
 Reduce soil erosion/degradation
 Reduce the risks of human, animal, and environmental
exposure to toxic materials
 Improving farming practices to meet local production
conditions and satisfy local markets
FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE

58. COMPONENTS

59. Sikkim – First organic state
 75,000 ha of agrl. Land
 Sikkim Organic Mission
2010
 Goal achieved in 2016

60.  Sustainability/SA – The successful management of
resources for agriculture to satisfy human needs
(max. crop production), while maintaining or
enhancing the quality of environment and
conserving natural resources
Sustainability = Productivity + Resource Conservation
Sustainable Agriculture

61. ADVANTAGES
http://www.sugam.in/soilbiotechnology.html

62. Future trends expected to shape Indian Agriculture
1) Digital Innovation in agriculture - infrastructure
development, supply chain management and technology
2) Effective climate risk mitigation strategy - effective water
management, adapting to rising temperatures, drought
situations
3) Developing start-up ecosystem – Govt. loan requirement,
availability of growth capital, applicability to mainstream
government schemes

63. Future trends expected to shape Indian Agriculture
4) Developing farmer producer organizations (FPO) - better
insurance terms, quality assessment infrastructure,
precision agriculture solutions for better crop
management, access to finance, IoT (Internet of Things)
based applications
5) Water management initiatives - watershed management,
drip irrigation and water use efficiency (WUE) – for
optimum utilization of available water resources

64. Modern Technologies expected to rise in future Agriculture
1) High tech farming - hydroponics and aeroponics
2) Precision agriculture/satellite farming/site specific crop
management – farming management concept based on
observing, measuring and responding to inter and intra-
field variability in crops
- this practice has been enabled by the advent of GPS,
GIS, RS, etc.
3) IoT-based smart farming – system is built for monitoring
crop field with the help of sensors (light, humidity,
temperature, soil moisture), automating irrigation system
4) Robotics – for agrl. operations – drones
5) Genetically modified crops – only Bt cotton in India

67. Indian Agricultural Job Opportunities
1) Farm and bank – Farm/bank Manager, representative,
technical experts, farm veterinarian
2) Business – Contract farming, commercial cultivation, food
processing, entrepreneurs
3) Research and teaching – Agrl. Scientist, Research
Associate (RA), scholars, Assistant Professor,
Associate Professor, professor
4) Further research – Post-doct. (abroad), other jobs (abroad)
5) Others – Agri. Officer (AO), Horti. Officer (HO), Block
Development Officer (BDO), Subject matter
specialist (SMS), dairy/crop inspector
6) Seeds,fertilizers, other company -National Seeds Corporation
(NSC), IIFCO, Food Corporation of India (FCI), MahyCo, etc.

68. Success Stories
 In the spotlight for creating a world
record in paddy production – 35 yo
farmer Sumant Kumar (Bihar)
 Produced 224 quintals /ha (22.4 T)
using SRI method (based on principle
of nurturing roots, enriching soil,
more space for plants to grow)
 Previous record held by China’s
“Father of rice” Yuvan Longping (194
quintal/ha)
 Experimented with SRI in 2010 for
paddy – from Govt. incentive,
received training
 Received “Krishi Karman Award”
(citation + Rs. 1 lakh)

69. THANK YOU