By Niraj Kumar
No political intent, but I shall commence by saying Indian agriculture is at a critical juncture. Covid-19 pandemic has tested the resilience of our economy. Unfortunately, the coverage and effect of the pandemic had been so colossal that every single segment of our economy bore its brunt. It was the farmers of India, in specific, who could not only resist the blitz of the pandemic but also proved that agriculture can stay the most reliable segment of the Indian economy.
The pandemic, even so, has also opened up new possibilities in agriculture, which, if tapped early, can not only make our economy more buoyant but also can contribute to doubling the farmers’ earnings. Sensing the immense prospective of Indian agriculture, investors pumped in $500 million to Indian agri-tech issues in 2020, even as the whole planet was in recession. It is anticipated that the agritech segment will get an investment of $10 billion more than the next 10 years.
These estimates appear feasible thinking of India has 159.7 million hectares of arable land (second-biggest soon after the US), experiences all the 15 prominent climates current across continents, and has 46 out of 60 soil-varieties that are there in the planet. With meals-grain production anticipated to cross the 300-million-tonne mark, our nation has been amongst the biggest producers of milk & milk solutions, wheat, rice, fish, fruits, vegetables, and meat.
Further, according to a report by PWC and FICCI, every single ninth agri-tech commence-up in the planet is from India, and more than 25 Indian agri-tech corporations have expanded their presence beyond the Indian territory. Experts opine that the Indian economy recovery would be V-shaped and agriculture would be one of the big motives for it.
Unfortunately, the ongoing farmers’ stir appears to have dampened the spirit of farmers, agro-industries, government, and other stakeholders. Agriculture improvement and farmers’ welfare do not deserve to be stifled mainly because of political motives. Unfortunately, lately, the farmers’ stir has grow to be political, and this is not, in any way, excellent for the nation.
Though we are on a quick-development trajectory and the future appears vibrant, we nonetheless have challenges that want to be addressed urgently. We ought to accept that our common farmer is not as educated and as resourceful as these are from the nations with which our farmers compete. Our land-holdings, at an typical of 1.18 ha, are substantially smaller sized and more fragmented than the planet typical of 179.68 ha. But, we want to move forward.
Though we have grow to be self-dependent, there remains considerable headspace to improve the productivity of our big crops. For instance, the productivity of maize, rice, groundnut, and pulses are 54%, 40%, 31%, and 33% decrease than the respective international averages. Can we work on escalating our productivity?
Most of the farmers are nonetheless applying classic farming practices, which are not only unscientific but lead to greater expense of cultivation as properly. Unavailability of the suitable agri-inputs at the suitable time, below- or more than-utilisation of agro-chemical compounds, and restricted availability of technical advisory services are creating our agriculture expensive and non-remunerative. The UN estimates that more than 3.2 billion folks about the planet are at threat from the effects of land-degradation, several of whom live in the world’s poorest regions, such as India. Can we direct our power to discover options to these issues which are creating our farmers poorer and weaker?
Intermediaries who do not add worth in the agriculture provide-chain not only add to the expense of final generate to the buyers, but also minimize the farmer’s share in the consumer’s spending. Indian farmers, on typical, get only 28-78% of the consumers’ rupee, with a decrease share for perishables (like fruit & vegetables) and a greater share in case of non-perishables like edible oilseeds and spices, even though this is nonetheless substantially decrease than the international typical.
This is the time when we have to concentrate on secondary agriculture. Logistics like storage, transportation, credit, and market place details are critical for transforming subsistence-agriculture into sustainable, lucrative agriculture. Indian farmers incur Rs 92,651 crore per year in post-harvest losses, the key causes of which are poor storage and transportation facilities. While India’s annual meals-grain production is anticipated to cross 300 million tonnes, the present storage capacity is about a mere one hundred million tonnes.
Non-availability of formal credit, lack of crop-insurance coverage, and indebtedness have been some of the big motives for farmers’ suicide. Unfortunately, the discussion today, mainly because of the farmers’ ongoing stir, has got stuck on, or about, the agricultural generate market place committee (APMC) yard and minimum assistance cost (MSP). MSP is crucial, but the nation wants several more policies and infrastructural assistance to make agriculture more remunerative. Can we give the requisite time and power to strengthen our secondary agriculture?
The digital revolution has opened new windows for Indian farmers. Technology like precision agriculture, e-extension, drone-led agrichemical spraying, sensible tractors and agribots, sensible warehousing and transport optimisation, true-time yield estimation and cost details, fintech-led credit and insurance coverage management and e-advertising and marketing have established their applicability in creating agriculture much easier, predictable, and lucrative.
Young, talented desi entrepreneurs are prepared with technologies-driven options to address several of the lengthy-pending difficulties of Indian agriculture. Indian agri-tech commence-ups are today valued at $204 million, which is estimated to be just 1% of existing market place prospective. Are we preparing to speak to these agri-preneurs, give them space and chance to contribute and develop?
The government appears critical, with a big monetary outlay to the agriculture sector below Atmanirbhar Bharat. Apart from greater MSP for several crops and elevated procurement by government agencies, the government appears to be moving forward with several farmers-oriented policies. Shouldn’t we enable Indian agriculture to move beyond MSP and APMC, and take the advantages of pacy development with out losing the edge that the corona pandemic has offered it?
Professor (rural management) Xavier University, Bhubaneswar