India’s Agricultural Sector and Its Role in Development
Agriculture employs nearly 46% of India’s workforce but contributes about 18% to GDP.
To become a developed nation by 2047, India must significantly enhance agricultural productivity and ensure sustainable practices.
Emphasis on adopting sustainable practices like precision farming, advanced irrigation, and genetically modified crops.
Challenges Faced by Indian Agriculture
Climate Change: Alters weather patterns, affecting crop yields and increasing vulnerability.
Loss of arable land due to erosion, salinization, and overuse.
Difficulty in accessing markets and getting fair prices, partly addressed by the Electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM).
Growth Disparity: Agricultural GDP growth lags behind overall GDP growth, creating an imbalance.
Initiatives to Support Farmers and Improve Productivity
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY): Promotes water-use efficiency with ₹93,068 crore allocated for irrigation projects.
Focuses on expanding irrigation coverage to improve water management across 78 lakh hectares
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY): Provides crop insurance, introduced in 2016, with 49.5 crore farmers enrolled and claims over ₹1.45 lakh crore.
eNAM: launched in 2016, Integrates 1,361 mandis to enhance market access and price realization, benefiting 1.76 million farmers.
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN): launched in 2019, Provides ₹6,000 annually to over 11.8 crore farmers.
Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme: Distributes 23 crore cards to help optimize soil nutrient use.
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund: Supports post-harvest infrastructure with ₹1 lakh crore funding, improving farmer incomes and creating jobs.
Within three years, over 38,326 projects have been sanctioned, mobilising ₹30,030 crore in the agricultural infrastructure sector
Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) : Generates property cards for over 1.6 crore rural properties, enhancing land security and credit access.
Way Forward
Continue promoting sustainable agriculture through technological innovations and best practices.
Increase investment in agricultural research, infrastructure, and policy support to boost productivity and address challenges.
Plan for future food demands and ensure the agricultural sector can meet these needs sustainably.
Strengthen policies and initiatives to improve farmer incomes and productivity, ensuring alignment with the goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047
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