India’s Agriculture Sector must undergo necessary reforms to help it shine through this difficult time. Accordingly, India must focus on doubling farmer’s income, boosting agriculture, and minimizing the farmer’s risks in farmer- market trades. Subsequently, the government implements several action plans along with the 16-point action strategy to achieve the said motives.
Why Choose Agriculture Sector?
The answer to that is in two essential points. One is the significance of the sector. India’s agriculture sector supports the life of every individual in India. Furthermore, over half the population in one way or the other is associated with the agriculture sector. Also, it generates approximately 15% GDP of the nation. Second, is its critical role in the economic revival of the current scenario. Following that, to attain USD 5 trillion dreams, the agriculture sector must produce over 30% of the GDP.
Price Pressure in the Agriculture Sector
The unnecessary pressure on the produce price due to the altering market having an adverse impact on the sector. Additionally, the gradual input rates spike is effecting the farmer’s income and their debt repayment ability. Besides, farm to market trade isn’t clearly beneficial. Because the costs borne by farmers like production, storage, transport are higher than the profit incurred. Middlemen take up major chunk of profits as farmers lack ability to market their product.
Despite several reforms such as allocation of 15 lakh crore, irrigation assistance, solar pumps (PM KUSUM scheme), etc. The entirety of which doesn’t reach the cultivators. Hence, necessitating reforms and also, reinforcing few reforms to assist India’s agriculture sector.
The Necessary Reforms
At present, India’s agriculture has the capacity to provide a long term and stable solution concerning the economy. However, the mediators or even the lack of knowledge is hindering its advancement. Thus, important to bring about a few reforms that aid the stabilizing of the sector.
- Privatization of the markets in the agriculture sector.
- Credit must be easily accessible to the cultivators.
- Provide incentives depending on the production.
- Improvise supply chain and storage of harvest.
- Ensure the farmers attain a fair price share of value from the produce.
- Providing equal weight age to horticulture by allocating incentives.
- Additionally, credit subsidies, power subsidies, fertilizer subsidies are very important.
- Remove middlemen and provide minimum support prices for majority of produce.
Few other Necessary Improvisations
Storage and preservation of perishable food, without this there is a lot of food wastage. Due to this wastage, India’s agriculture faces a loss of over 20% produce accounting for a USD 20 billion loss. Further, the implementation of Krishi UDAN was helpful in avoiding wastage while bridging the infrastructural gap. Hence, it is necessary to reinforce it with a prime focus on farmer’s advancement. Subsequently, one of the major problems is the scarcity of credit availability. Meanwhile, we can overcome this by encouraging investments in promising and productive areas.
Conclusion
To summarize, the reforms in India’s agriculture are mandatory for economic as well as farmer’s advancement. However, the said reforms succeed only when all the factors provide their maximum effort. Including, the state, the central government, farmers, and the mediators. Also, India must begin to focus on backward integration as the improvements must begin from the very basic stage. Further, due to the growing population, the raw materials are depleting, and hence, India’s agriculture requires much attention.