10 Major Agricultural Problems Of India Essay

around of the major capers and their possible extendant roles stool been discussed as follows. Indian agriculture is plagued by several problems few of them argon natural and some others are manmake.1. subaltern and fragmented kill-holdingsThe seemingly abundance of cryst al bingleise sown stadium of 141.2 gazillion hectares and total cropped area of 189.7 million hectares (1999-2000) pales into insignificance when we see that it is divided into economic anyy unviable footling and scattered holdings.The average size of holdings was 2.28 hectares in 1970-71 which was reduced to 1.82 hectares in 1980-81 and 1.50 hectares in 1995-96. The size of the holdings testament further decrease with the infinite Sub-division of the land holdings. arrest to a greater extent Sleep Deprivation Problem Solution Speech strainThe problem of small and fragmented holdings is more beneficial in obt customly populated and intensively cultivated states like Kerala, tungsten Bengal, Bihar&nbs pand eastern haul of Uttar Pradesh where the average size of land holdings is less than one hectare and in indisputable part it is less than even 0.5 hectare.Rajasthan with vast sandy stretches and Nagaland with the prevailing Jhoom (shifting agriculture) accept larger average sized holdings of 4 and 7.15 hectares respectively. States having high per centimeage of net sown area like Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have holding size to a higher place the national average.Further it is shocking to none that a large dimension of 59 per cent holdings in 1990- 91 were bare(a) (below 1 hectare) report for 14.9 per cent of the total operated area. Another 19 per cent were small holdings (1-2 hectare) winning up 17.3 per cent of the total operated area. Large holdings (above 10 hectare) accounted for alto subscribeher 1.6 per cent of total holdings but coered 17.4 per cent of the operated area (Table 22.1). Hence, there is a wide gap between small grangers, medium farmers (peasant group) and big farmers (landlords).The briny reason for this sad state of affairs is our inheritance laws. The land belong to the father is equally distributed among his sons. This distribution of land does not entail a collection or consolidated one, but its nature is fragmented.Different tracts have different levels of fertility and are to be distributed accordingly. If there are intravenous feeding tracts which are to be distributed between two sons, both the sons will loll around littler plots of each land tract. In this way the holdings become smaller and more fragmented with each passing generation.Sub-division and fragmentation of the holdings is one of the main(prenominal) ca exercises of our low coarse productivity and backward state of our agriculture.1/2/2015 758 PM10 Major Agricultural Problems of India and their executable Solutions3 of 16http//www.yourarticlelibrary.com/agriculture/10-major- inelegant-proA lot of time and take is wasted in moving sources, manure, implements and cattle from one piece of land to another. Irrigation becomes difficult on such(prenominal) small and fragmented fields. Further, a lot of fertile country land is wasted in providing boundaries. Under such circumstances, the farmer cannot concentrate on improvement. The solitary(prenominal) answer to this ticklish problem is the consolidation of holdings which means the reallocation of holdings which are fragmented, the creation of farms which comprise simply one or a few parcels in place of phalanx of patches formerly in the possession of each peasant. and unfortunately, this plan has not succeeded practically. Although legislation for consolidation of holdings has been enacted by al near all the states, it has been implemented only in Punjab, Haryana and in some parts of Uttar Pradesh.Consolidation of about 45 million holdings has been done till 1990-91 in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. The other soluti on to this problem is cooperative farming in which the farmers pool their resources and tract the profit.2. sourcesSeed is a critical and basic input for attaining higher crop yields and continue growth in agricultural output. Distribution of assured prime(prenominal) sow is as critical as the production of such inseminates. Unfortunately, correct quality seeds are out of reach of the majority of farmers, e curiously small and marginal farmers mainly because of exorbitant equipment casualtys of better seeds.In order to solve this problem, the governing body of India established the National Seeds Corporation (NSC) in 1963 and the State FarmersCorporation of India (SFCI) in 1969. Thirteen State Seed Corporations (SSCs) were also established to augment the summate of improved seeds to the farmers. High Yielding Variety Programme (HYVP) was launched in 1966-67 as a major thrust plan to increase the production of provender grains in the country. The Indian seed industry had exhibited impressive growth in the past and is expected to provide further potential for growth in agricultural production The role of seed industry is not only to produce adequate quantity of quality seeds but also to get through varietal diversity to suit various agro-climatic zones of the country.The policy statements are designed towards qualification available to the Indian farmer, adequate quantities of seed of superior quality at the appropriate time and place and at an affordable price so as to meet the countrys food and nutritional bail goals.Indian seeds programme largely adheres to limited generation system for seed multiplication. The system recognises three kinds of generation, namely stock breeder, foundation and certified seeds. Breeder seed is the basic seed and first stage in seed production. tail seed is the second stage in seed production bowed stringed instrument and is the progeny of breeder seed. Certified seed is the ultimate stage in seed production chain and is the progeny of foundation seed. Production of breeder and foundation seeds and certified seeds distribution have gone up at an annual average rate of 3.4 per cent, 7.5 per cent and 9.5 per cent respectively, between 2001-02 and 2005-06).3. Manures, Fertilizers and BiocidesIndian imperfections have been used for growing crops over thousands of years without caring much for replenishing. This has led to depletion and exhaustion of soils resulting in their low productivity. The average yields of almost all the crops are among t e lowest in the world. This is a serious problem which can be solved by using more manures and fertilizers. Manures and fertilizers play the same role in relation to soils as good food in relation to body. Just as a provide body is capable of doing any good job, a well nourished soil is capable of giving good yields. It has been estimated that about 70 per cent of growth in agricultural production can be attributed to increase fertilizer application.Thus increase in the consumption of fertilizers is a barometer of agricultural prosperity. However, there are practical difficulties in providing sufficient manures and fertilizers in all parts of a country of Indias dimensions inhabited by hapless peasants. Cow dung provides the best manure to the soils.But its use as such is limited because much of cow dung is used as kitchen fuel in the shape of dung cakes. Reduction in the turn in of fire wood and increase demand for fuel in the clownish areas payable to increase in population has further complicated the problem. chemical fertilizers are costly and are often beyond the reach of the lamentable farmers. The fertilizer problem is, therefore, both acute and complex.It has been felt that organic manures are essential for keeping the soil in good health. The country has a potential of 650 million tonnes of rural and 160 lakh tonnes of urban compost which is not fully utilized at present. The utilization of this pot ential will solve the twin problem of disposal of waste and providing manure to the soil.The establishment has given high incentive e oddly in the form of dangerous subsidy for using chemical fertilizers. There was practically no use of chemical fertilizers at the time of Independence As a result of initiative by the government and due to change in the locating of some throw outive farmers, the consumption of fertilizers increased tremendously. In order to claim the quality of the fertilizers, 52 fertilizer quality control laboratories have been educate up in different parts of the country. In addition, there is one Central Fertilizer Quality Control and Training Institute at Faridabad with its three regional centres at Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.Pests, germs and weeds cause heavy tone ending to crops which amounted to about one third of the total field produce at the time of Independence. Biocides (pesticides, herbicides and weedicides) are used to save the crops and to avoid losses. The increased use of these inputs has saved a lot of crops, especially the food crops from unnecessary wastage. But indiscriminate use of biocides has resulted in wide spread environmental contaminant which takes its own toll.4. IrrigationAlthough India is the second largest irrigated country of the world after China, only tercet of the cropped area is under irrigation. Irrigation is the most important agricultural input in a tropical monsoon country like India where rainfall is uncertain, unreliable and peregrine India cannot achieve sustained progress in agriculture unless and until more than half(a) of the cropped area is brought under assured irrigation.This is testified by the success story of agricultural progress in Punjab Haryana and western part of Uttar Pradesh where over half of the cropped area is under irrigation Large tracts quiet await irrigation to boost the agricultural output.However, business concern must be taken to safeguard against ill effe cts of over irrigation especially in areas irrigated by canals. Large tracts in Punjab and Haryana have been rendered fruitless (areas affected by salinity, alkalinity and water-logging), due to faulty irrigation. In the Indira Gandhi Canal contain area also intensive irrigation has led to sharp rise in sub-soil water level, leading to water-logging, soil salinity and alkalinity.5. Lack of mechanisationIn spite of the large scale mechanisation of agriculture in some parts of the country, most of the agricultural operations in larger parts are carried on by human hand using fair and conventional tools and implements like wooden plough, sickle, etc.Little or no use of machines is made in ploughing, sowing, irrigating, thinning and pruning, weeding, harvesting threshing and transporting the crops. This is specially the case with small and marginal farmers. It results in huge wastage of human wear upon and in low yields per capita labour force. There is urgent need to outfi t the agricultural operations so that wastage of labour force is avoided and farming is made convenient and streamlined. Agricultural implements and machinery are a crucial input for efficient and timely agricultural operations, facilitating multiple cropping and thereby increasing production.Some progress has been made for mechanising agriculture in India after Independence. Need for mechanisation was specially felt with the advent of Green Revolution in 1960s. Strategies and programmes have been order towards replacement of traditional and inefficient implements by improved ones, enabling the farmer to own tractors, power tillers, harvesters and other machines.A large industrial basis for manufacturing of the agricultural machines has also been developed. Power availability for stoping out various agricultural operations has been increased to reach a level of 14 kW per hectare in 2003-04 from only 0.3 kW per hectare in 1971-72.This increase was the result of increasing use of tractor, power tiller and combine harvesters, irrigation pumps and other power operated machines. The share of mechanical and electrical power has increased from 40 per cent in 1971 to 84 per cent in 2003-04.Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest average sales of tractors during the quint year period ending 2003-04 and/West Bengal recorded the highest average sales of power tillers during the same period. Strenuous efforts are being made to promote the farmers to adopt technically advanced agricultural equipments in order to carry farm operations timely and precisely and to economise the agricultural production process.6. Soil erosionLarge tracts of fertile land suffer from soil erosion by wind and water. This area must be decently treated and restored to its original fertility.7. Agricultural MarketingAgricultural food marketing still continues to be in a bad shape in rural India. In the absence of sound marketing facilities, the farmers have to depend upon local anae sthetic traders and centerfieldmen for the disposal of their farm produce which is change at throw-away price.In most cases, these farmers are forced, under socio-economic conditions, to carry on distress sale of their produce. In most of small villages, the farmers convey their produce to the money lender from whom they normally borrow money. According to an estimate 85 per cent of wheat and 75 per cent of oil seeds in Uttar Pradesh, 90 per cent of Jute in West Bengal, 70 per cent of oilseeds and 35 per cent of cotton in Punjab is sold by farmers in the village itself. Such a situation arises due to the inability of the poor farmers to wait for long after harvesting their crops.In order to meet his commitments and pay his debt, the poor farmer is forced to sell the produce at whatever price is offered to him. The Rural Credit slew Report rightly remarked that the producers in general sell their produce at an unfavourable place and at an unfavourable time and usually they ge t unfavourable terms.In the absence of an organised marketing structure, private traders and middlemen master the marketing and trading of agricultural produce. The remuneration of the services provided by the middlemen increases the dilute on the consumer, although the producer does not derive similar benefit.Many market surveys have revealed that middlemen take away about 48 per cent of the price of rice, 52 per cent of the price of grounduts and 60 per cent of the price of potatoes offered by consumers.In order to save the farmer from the clutches of the money lenders and the middle men, the government has come out with regulated markets. These markets generally introduce a system of competitive buying, help in eradicating malpractices, ensure the use of standardized weights and measures and evolve suitable machinery for settlement of disputes thereby ensuring that the producers are not subjected to development and receive remunerative prices.