The Most Important Agricultural Issues Need to Be Addressed

One of the world's agricultural powerhouses is India. Due to its 16% GDP contribution and the fact that it employs about 58 %, agriculture is a significant sector of the Indian economy. Over 70% of rural Indian households depend on agriculture, which also employs nearly half of the workforce - more than China and the U.S. combined.

Numerous significant businesses in India, including the cotton and jute textile industries, sugar, vanaspati, etc., are directly reliant on agriculture for their basic materials. India's international trade is closely related to the country's agricultural industry. The second-largest producer of rice, wheat, sugarcane, cotton, groundnuts, fruits, and vegetables in the world is India. Additionally, it produced 25% of the world's pulses.

Our nation's agriculture is distinct not just in terms of size and quantity, but also in terms of geography, climate, and land distribution.

Issues Associated With Indian Agriculture

An Indian farmer's land holding exceeds one hectare, which is larger than most other countries, according to the most recent Agriculture Census (2015-2016). The census also shows a 5.86% increase in the overall number of operational holdings, from 138.35 million in 2010–11 to 146.45 million in 2015–16.

Despite all of these facts, our agriculture sector is having a difficult time for the following reasons:

• Farmers in remote areas are unable to access digital resources.
• lack of knowledge about public and private policies.
• Profit margin erosion brought on by middlemen
• Limited knowledge of seeds, farming methods, climate, pests, harvesting techniques, farm equipment, post-harvest techniques, and marketing.

We must concentrate on fostering our agricultural industry as the population of the country is predicted to rise over the next ten years and surpass that of the rest of the world. When land is divided among the next generations, the growing population is also contributing to the fragmentation of landholdings. The time has come to restore the proper equilibrium. We require additional digital platforms that will inform our farmers and handle their challenges as they work to meet the food, fiber, and fuel needs of a growing population.

“If agriculture goes wrong, nothing else will have a chance to go right in the country” – MS Swaminathan, the father of Indian agriculture.