Introduction to Indian Agriculture

Let’s begin with a simple but profound idea—what is agriculture?

If we break down the word, ‘agri’ means land, and ‘culture’ means cultivation—so literally, it means cultivating the land. But in modern usage, agriculture includes much more than just growing crops. It includes:

• Raising crops (like wheat, rice, maize),
• Animal husbandry (rearing animals for milk, meat, or labour),
• Agroforestry (cultivating trees alongside crops),
• Apiculture (beekeeping),
• Pisciculture (fish farming), and so on.

So, agriculture is not just about “khet-khalihan” (fields and farms)—it’s a broad system of land-based and biological production activities.

India: A Civilisation Rooted in Agriculture

India is often described as “an agricultural country”—but what does that really mean?

Imagine this: if a country were a human body, then agriculture would be its spine. Not always glamorous, not always visible, but holding everything together. For centuries, India’s economy, culture, and social fabric revolved around agriculture.

Let’s look at some facts:

Till 1971:

• Nearly 80% of the population lived in rural areas.
• Most of them were either directly involved (like farmers) or indirectly dependent (like rural artisans or grain traders) on agriculture.
• Agriculture alone contributed about 45% of India’s GDP.

This was the era when agriculture was the main engine of the Indian economy. If India was a bicycle, then agriculture was both the pedal and the wheel.

Post-1971: Structural Transformation Begins

Now, with economic development, things started changing—like how a child becomes a teenager and then an adult, the Indian economy began to diversify. Other sectors like:

• Mining (extracting resources),
• Manufacturing (factories and industry),
• Transport and trade (movement and exchange),
• Services (education, healthcare, IT),

…started growing at a rapid pace. Naturally, agriculture’s relative share in GDP began to decline.

This doesn’t mean agriculture became less important—it just means that other sectors grew faster.

Today’s Picture: Dual Reality

As of now:

• Agriculture and allied sectors contribute about 17.5% to India’s GDP.
• But still, about 55% of India’s population relies on agriculture for their livelihood.

Now, here’s an interesting contrast—over half the people, but less than one-fifth the GDP. This creates a kind of economic imbalance.

To explain with a relatable analogy: Think of a joint family where one person (say, agriculture) earns ₹17 out of a ₹100 income, but still has to feed and support more than half the family members. That naturally creates pressure and vulnerability.

Why Agriculture Still Matters Deeply

Despite the decline in GDP contribution, agriculture continues to:

• Feed the population,
• Provide raw materials to industries (like cotton for textiles, sugarcane for sugar),
• Generate rural employment,
• Contribute to exports (like spices, rice, tea),
• And ensure food security for the nation.

So, agriculture is not just an occupation—it is a foundation, a way of life, and for many, still a matter of survival.

Conclusion: A Sector in Transition

Indian agriculture is like a giant banyan tree—ancient, deeply rooted, still sheltering millions, but in need of modern care and pruning.

As we move forward, the challenge is to make agriculture:

• More productive,
• More sustainable, and
• More remunerative for those who depend on it.

Because without a strong rural base, India’s economic growth cannot be truly inclusive.

Salient Features of Indian Agriculture

Agriculture in India is not just a mode of livelihood—it is a civilizational practice, deeply intertwined with our economy, society, and environment. But to truly understand its nature, we must examine its core features, one by one.

1️⃣ Subsistence Agriculture

The most defining feature is that Indian agriculture, especially in rural areas, is still largely subsistence-oriented.

What does this mean?

• The farmer typically owns a small piece of land.
• He grows crops with the help of family members.
• The primary aim is to feed the family, not to sell in the market.
• Whatever little surplus is left after consumption might be sold—often just to meet basic expenses.

Analogy: Think of it as a small kitchen garden, not a commercial farm. The focus is survival, not profit.

This type of farming is predominant in many parts of India, particularly in rain-fed, resource-poor regions.

2️⃣ Pressure of Population on Agriculture

India has a large rural population, and many of them depend on agriculture—even though the amount of cultivable land is limited.

As the population increases and urban areas expand, two things happen:

• The size of landholdings shrinks (due to division of family land).
• The demand for land intensifies (for farming, housing, industry, etc.).

This leads to overcrowding on farms, causing problems like:

• Low productivity,
• Disguised unemployment,
• Degradation of soil and water.

3️⃣ Lack of Mechanization

In many regions, farming still relies on traditional tools and manual labour rather than tractors, harvesters, or drip irrigation systems.

• Mechanization is low, especially in small and marginal farms.
• Due to cost constraints, farmers continue using bullocks and human labour.

As a result, productivity suffers, and farming becomes a physically demanding task with low returns.

4️⃣ Monsoon Dependent Agriculture

A large part of Indian agriculture is heavily dependent on the southwest monsoon for irrigation.

• Only about 40% of total cropped area is irrigated.
• So if the monsoon fails or delays, farmers face crop failure, debt, and distress.

🌧️ This makes Indian agriculture climatically vulnerable and highly unpredictable.

5️⃣ Diversity of Crops Due to Relief, Climate & Soil

India’s diverse geography is both a challenge and a blessing.

Because we have:

• Varied relief (plains, plateaus, hills),
• Multiple climatic zones (tropical, temperate),
• A rich range of soils (alluvial, black, red, laterite…),

…India is able to grow an incredible variety of crops, such as:

• Rice in the east and south,
• Wheat in the north,
• Millets and pulses in arid regions,
• Tea, coffee, and spices in hilly terrains.

This is a unique strength of Indian agriculture.

6️⃣ Food Crops Dominate Over Cash Crops

Indian agriculture still focuses more on food security than commercial gain.

• The majority of land is devoted to food crops like rice, wheat, pulses, and coarse cereals.
• Cash crops like sugarcane, cotton, jute, or oilseeds have a smaller share.

This reflects both a subsistence orientation and the country’s priority to feed its population.

7️⃣ Labour-Intensive Agriculture

Since mechanization is low, Indian agriculture relies heavily on human labour—for sowing, weeding, harvesting, and even irrigation.

• This makes it labour-intensive, especially on small farms.
• Even though this generates employment, it also limits efficiency and scale.

This is a double-edged sword: useful for employment, but problematic for productivity.

8️⃣ Intensive Farming

Given the limited land, farmers try to maximize output from whatever land they have. This is called intensive farming.

• It involves using more inputs—like fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, and labour—on a smaller area.
• The goal is to extract the highest possible yield from every square metre.

But over time, this can also lead to:

• Soil degradation,
• Groundwater depletion,
• Higher input costs.

So while it increases production in the short run, long-term sustainability becomes a concern.

9️⃣ Importance of Animals in Agricultural Operations

In India, animals are not just sources of milk or meat—they are also work companions in farming.

• Bullocks are used for ploughing,
• Buffaloes and camels help with transport,
• Oxen may be used for irrigation or threshing.

This traditional system—called mixed farming—helps poor farmers who can’t afford machines, but again, it limits efficiency.

✅ Conclusion

Indian agriculture is like a great old tree—strong, rooted in history, feeding millions—but also bending under pressure, weathered by challenges.

• It shows resilience and diversity, yet struggles with modernization and inefficiencies.
• The way forward is to retain its strengths (diversity, food security), while reforming its weaknesses (low productivity, climate dependence).

Only then can Indian agriculture become not just the backbone, but also the driving force of our economy.

Problems Faced by Indian Agriculture

Indian agriculture today stands at a critical crossroads—caught between its rich traditional strengths and a growing list of modern challenges. If we want to understand its present and shape its future, we must examine these problems not as isolated issues, but as symptoms of a deeper structural crisis.

Let’s examine these challenges point by point:

1. Groundwater Depletion

• In areas like Punjab, Haryana, and western UP, farmers have overused groundwater for decades, especially due to:
  • Free electricity,
  • High-yielding water-intensive crops (like rice),
  • Lack of rainfall in many regions.
• The result? Groundwater tables are falling dangerously. Aquifers are drying up, leading to unsustainable farming.

It’s like running a tube well from a bottle instead of a river—sooner or later, it dries up.

2. Soil Degradation

• Decades of excessive use of nitrogen-based fertilizers (especially Urea) have thrown soil health off balance.
• Farmers use more nitrogen, but ignore other vital nutrients like phosphorus and potassium.

🧪 This creates a nutrient imbalance, degrading the soil, and reducing long-term fertility and productivity.

3. Stagnation in Crop Yields

• Despite Green Revolution success in wheat and rice, especially in Punjab and Haryana, yields have stagnated.
• Reasons include:
  • Repeated cropping without rotation,
  • Mono-cropping,
  • Declining soil fertility,
  • Lack of innovation in seed technology.

Productivity has hit a plateau, while costs keep rising—a bad deal for the farmer.

4. Subsidies vs Public Investment

• The government’s spending on subsidies (especially for fertilizers, power, and irrigation) is increasing.
• But capital investment in things like:
  • Rural infrastructure,
  • Research,
  • Irrigation development,
  • Cold storage…

…has declined.

📉 This leads to short-term relief, but no long-term resilience.

5. Overuse of Subsidized Inputs

• Due to low-cost or free access, farmers overuse fertilizers, pesticides, and electricity.
• This causes:
  • Soil nutrient mining,
  • Groundwater exploitation,
  • Pollution and rising input costs.

A policy meant to help, ends up hurting both the farmer and the environment.

6. Flawed Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) Policy

• The idea behind NBS was to promote balanced fertilization by linking subsidies to nutrient content.
• But Urea was excluded, so:
  • Urea remained much cheaper,
  • Farmers continued overusing it.

⚖️ This defeated the purpose of the policy and worsened the nutrient imbalance.

7. Lack of MSP for Pulses and Millets: “Jiska MSP Nahi, Uska Utpadan Kam”

• While Minimum Support Price (MSP) is ensured for rice and wheat, it is:
  • Absent,
  • Irregular,
  • Or not effectively implemented…

…for pulses, millets, and oilseeds.

❌ This discourages crop diversification, even though pulses and millets are nutritious and eco-friendly

8. Rising Cost of Farm Inputs

• Over the years, prices of:
  • Fertilizers,
  • HYV seeds,
  • Pesticides,
  • Farm labour…

…have increased manifold.

For a small farmer, this means:

• Lower profit margins,
• Higher dependence on debt, and
• Greater vulnerability to crop failure.

9. Fragmentation of Landholdings

• Due to family divisions, land gets split into smaller and smaller plots.
• Most Indian farmers now have marginal or small landholdings (less than 2 hectares).

🚜 On such small plots:

• Mechanization becomes difficult,
• Economies of scale are lost,
• Productivity suffers.

10. Challenges in Claiming Insurance

• Despite schemes like PM Fasal Bima Yojana, farmers often face:
  • Lack of awareness,
  • Bureaucratic hurdles,
  • Delayed or denied claims.

This reduces trust in formal safety nets, especially among small and marginal farmers.

11. Inadequate Storage, Transport, and Technology

• After harvest, crops face:
  • Storage losses (especially for perishables),
  • Poor road access to markets,
  • Lack of cold chains,
  • Absence of modern post-harvest tech.

This leads to distress selling, low price realization, and wastage—even when there’s no crop failure.

12. Faulty Agricultural Practices: “Ek Hi Fasal, Baar-Baar”

• Practices like mono-cropping (growing the same crop repeatedly) are common, especially in Green Revolution areas.

Result:

• Loss of soil fertility,
• Pest infestation,
• Decline in yield.

Crop rotation and mixed farming are neglected due to market pressures and policy bias.

13. Impact of Globalization: “Khula Bazaar, Band Ghar”

• After 1991, trade liberalization exposed Indian farmers to global price competition.
• Developed countries’ farmers receive heavy subsidies.
• Indian farmers get:
  • Lower protection,
  • Higher input costs,
  • Fluctuating output prices.

🎯 Net result?

• Farmer’s income is squeezed.
• Cultivation becomes non-viable, especially for small farmers.

14. Farmer Suicides

• Suicides are concentrated in:
  • Highly commercialized regions (like Vidarbha, Telangana, parts of Karnataka),
  • Areas with cash crop dominance (like cotton, sugarcane),
  • Regions with high debt and low insurance coverage.

Reasons include:

• Crop failure,
• Rising debt,
• Mental stress,
• Lack of institutional support.

💔 This is perhaps the most tragic manifestation of the agrarian crisis.

✅ Conclusion: A Sector at the Edge

Indian agriculture today is not just facing technical or economic problems—it is facing a systemic crisis.

To address this:

• We need balanced policies—not just subsidies, but investment in infrastructure and innovation.
• We need holistic support—not just for growing crops, but also for storing, marketing, and protecting farmers.
• We need to rethink our food system—with sustainability, equity, and dignity at its heart.

Because when a farmer is in crisis, the nation’s conscience must awaken.

Understanding Farmer Suicides in India

When a farmer dies by suicide, it is not just a personal tragedy, but a national alarm—reminding us that something is deeply broken in our development model. Agriculture is supposed to be the backbone of the Indian economy. But when the backbone begins to fracture under pressure, we must not only study the symptoms but also diagnose the system..

Following are the key Factors Behind Farmers’ Suicides:

1. Widespread Droughts and Rising Indebtedness

• In India, agriculture is monsoon-dependent. When rains fail, crops fail.
• Small farmers take loans to:
  • Buy seeds, fertilizers, or pesticides,
  • Arrange irrigation,
  • Pay for labour.

And when the crop fails, they’re left with nothing—except debt.

💡 A drought for the farmer is like a broken leg for a daily wage worker—no income, but the cost keeps rising.

2. Bankruptcy and Economic Pressure

• Repeated crop failures,
• Rising input costs (seeds, fertilizers, fuel, labour),
• Poor price realization…

…drive many farmers into bankruptcy.

📉 The feeling of being unable to repay loans or feed the family becomes psychologically devastating.

3. Institutional Credit Crisis: From Sahukaar to SHG

• Earlier, the villain was the local moneylender—but today, many suicides are linked to banks and microfinance institutions.
• Why?
  • Moneylenders—though exploitative—were flexible and knew the local context.
  • Banks and MFIs, in contrast:
    • Have rigid repayment rules,
    • Use peer pressure in Self-Help Groups (SHGs),
    • Create social humiliation if repayments are delayed.

🧠 The farmer isn’t just losing money—he’s losing izzat (dignity).

4. Family, Health, and Social Pressures

• Suicides are also linked to:
  • Family conflicts,
  • Chronic illness (with no savings for treatment),
  • Alcoholism or drug abuse (both cause and effect of stress).

In many regions, alcohol becomes a coping mechanism when hope begins to fade.

5. Livestock Burden and Cost Escalation

• Livestock like cattle or buffaloes are essential for many farms.
• But:
  • Feed prices have increased,
  • Veterinary care is poor,
  • Ban on cattle slaughter has made unproductive animals a liability.

🧾 Maintaining animals becomes an economic burden, not an asset.

6. Structural Inefficiencies

• Lack of irrigation (only about 50% of net sown area is irrigated),
• Non-mechanized farming,
• Poor transport infrastructure,
• High post-harvest losses,
• Inadequate market access…

All these create a fragile farming ecosystem, where the farmer is constantly fighting odds.

7. Declining Farm Incomes & Rising Farm Population

• Ironically, as farming becomes less profitable, more people are still dependent on it.
• Farmers per hectare have increased,
• But per capita income from land has decreased.

👉 More mouths, less food. More hands, fewer jobs. It’s a vicious cycle.

8. Exploitation by APMC Mandis and Traders

• Farmers are often forced to sell at low prices due to:
  • Lack of MSP coverage,
  • Exploitation by middlemen,
  • Restrictive APMC laws.

🪙 The irony is: the one who grows the food often can’t afford to buy it.

9. Rising Input Costs and Soil Degradation

• Seeds, urea, insecticides, power—everything is expensive.
• At the same time, soil has become less productive due to:
  • Overuse of chemical fertilizers,
  • Mono-cropping, and
  • Lack of organic methods.

It’s like increasing the cost of fuel while damaging the engine of a vehicle.

10. Diversion of Agricultural Land

• Farmlands are increasingly being:
  • Converted for industrial or real estate use,
  • Fragmented due to inheritance divisions.

This reduces both the land available for farming and the dignity associated with agriculture.

11. Political Incentives for Suicides: A Grim Reality

• There are reports of state compensation packages being offered after a farmer’s death.
• This sometimes leads to perverse incentives—where families feel that suicide is the only way out of economic distress.

💔 A nation must reflect deeply when death becomes more rewarding than life.

⚖️ Conclusion: A Crisis of Structure, Not Just Sentiment

Farmers’ suicides are not merely due to poverty. They are due to hopelessness—a feeling that:

“No matter how hard I work, my fate won’t change.”

This is the tragedy of unequal development. It is not enough to grow GDP if the hands that grow our food are dying in debt and despair.

✅ What is needed?

• Holistic reforms,
• Crop diversification with MSPs,
• Debt restructuring,
• Better irrigation,
• Mental health support,
• Farmer-centric governance.

Because if the farmer lives with dignity, the nation thrives with pride.