Agriculture plays a vital role in India's economy. Over 58 per cent of the rural households depend on agriculture as their principal means of livelihood. Agriculture, along with fisheries and forestry, is one of the largest contributors to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). As per estimates by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the share of agriculture and allied sectors (including agriculture, livestock, forestry and fishery) was 15.35 per cent of the Gross Value Added (GVA) during 2015–16 at 2011–12 prices.
India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices and spice products. India's fruit production has grown faster than vegetables! making it the second largest fruit producer in the world. India's horticulture output, comprising fruits, vegetables and spices, year in 2014-15 to a record high of 283.5 million tonnes (MT) It ranks third in farm and agriculture outputs. Agricultural export constitutes 10 per cent of the country's exports and is the fourth-largest exported principal commodity. The agro industry in India is divided into several sub segments such as canned, dairy, processed, frozen food to fisheries, meat, poultry, and food grains.
The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation under the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the development of the agriculture sector in India. It manages several other bodies, such as the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), to develop other allied agricultural sectors.
Over the recent past, multiple factors have worked together to facilitate growth in the agriculture sector in India. These include growth in household income and consumption, expansion in the food processing sector and increase in agricultural exports. Rising private participation in Indian agriculture, growing organic farming and use of information technology are some of the key trends in the agriculture industry.
As per the 4th Advance Estimates, food grain production is estimated at 253.16 million tonnes (MT) for 2015-16. Production of pulses estimated at 17.33 million tonnes.
With an annual output of 146.3 MT, India is the largest producer of milk, accounting for 18.5 per cent of the total world production. It also has the largest bovine population. India, the second-largest producer of sugar, accounts for 14 per cent of the global output. It is the sixth-largest exporter of sugar, accounting for 2.76 per cent of the global exports.
Spice exports from India are expected to reach US $3 billion by 2016–17 due to creative marketing strategies, innovative packaging, strength in quality and strong distribution networks. The spices market in India is valued at Rs 40,000 crore (US $5.87 billion) annually, of which the branded segment accounts for 15 per cent.
The procurement target for rice during marketing season (MS) 2015–16 has been finalised as 30 MT.
Several players have invested in the agricultural sector in India, mainly driven by the government's initiatives and schemes.
According to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the Indian agricultural services and agricultural machinery sectors have cumulatively attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflow of about US $2,261 million from April 2000 to December 2015.
Some major investments and developments in agriculture in the recent past are as follows:
Given the importance of the agriculture sector, the Government of India, in its Budget 2016–17, planned several steps for the sustainable development of agriculture.
Budget 2016-17 proposed a slew of measures to improve agriculture and increase farmers' welfare such as 2.85 million hectares to be brought under irrigation, Rs 287,000 crore (US $42.11 billion) grant in aid to be given to gram panchayats and municipalities and 100 per cent village electrification targeted by May 01, 2018
The government has already taken steps to address two major factors (soil and water) critical to improve agriculture production. Steps have been taken to improve soil fertility on a sustainable basis through the soil health card scheme and to support the organic farming scheme 'Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana'. Other steps include improved access to irrigation through 'Pradhanmantri Gram Sinchai Yojana'; enhanced water efficiency through `Per Drop More Crop'; continued support to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the creation of a unified national agriculture market to boost the incomes of farmers.
The Government of India recognises the importance of microirrigation, watershed development and 'Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana'; thus, it allocated a sum of Rs 5,300 crore (US $777.6 million) for it. It urged the states to focus on this key sector. The state governments are compelled to allocate adequate funds to develop the agriculture sector, take measures to achieve the targeted agricultural growth rate and address the problems of farmers.
The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation under the Ministry of Agriculture has inked MOUs/agreements with 52 countries including the US. In addition, the Department of Agriculture Research & Education (DARE) and the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries (DAHD&F) under the Ministry of Agriculture have signed MOUs/agreements with other countries, taking the number of partnerships with other countries to 63. These agreements would provide better agricultural facilities in areas such as research and development, capacity building, germ-plasm exchange, post-harvest management, value addition/food processing, plant protection, animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries. The agreements could help enhance bilateral trade as well.
Given the correlation between improvement in agriculture and the development of the country, the Government of India adopted several initiatives and programmes to ensure continuous growth. It allocated Rs 25,000 crore (US $3.67 billion) for the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIFD), Rs 1,500 crore (US $220 million) for the long-term rural credit fund, Rs 45,000 crore (US $6.60 billion) for the short-term cooperative rural credit finance fund and Rs 25,000 crore (US $3.67 billion) for the short-term Regional rural bank (RRB) refinance fund. It also marked an ambitious target of Rs 8.5 lakh crore (US $124.71 billion) of agriculture credit during 2015–16.
Some of the recent major government initiatives in the sector are as follows:
The agriculture sector in India is expected to generate better momentum in the next few years due to increased investments in agricultural infrastructure such as irrigation facilities, warehousing and cold storage. Factors such as reduced transaction costs and time, improved port gate management and better fiscal incentives would contribute to the sector's growth. Furthermore, the growing use of genetically modified crops will likely improve the yield for Indian farmers.
The 12th Five-Year Plan estimates the foodgrains storage capacity to expand to 35 MT. Also, a 4 per cent growth would help restructure the agriculture sector in India in the next few years.
Exchange rate used: INR1= US $0.0147 as of March 1, 2016
References: The Economic Survey 2015–16, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Department of Commerce and Industry 2015–16, Union Budget 2016–17, Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Press Releases, Media Reports
Notes- ! - as per 'Horticultural Statistics at a glance 2015' published by Ministry of Agriculture.
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