Short essay on the Agricultural Policies of India

The basic objective of agricultural planning in India is to improve the level of production and productivity in the agricultural sector. Further, it aims at a proper distribution of gains from agriculture among different sections of the society. Thus, agricultural growth with social, justice has become the-basic objective of agricultural planning in India.

Hence, all the policies have been designed to achieve this two-fold objective, Agricultural policies can broadly be divided into three categories e.g. (i) Policies regarding technological reforms, (ii) Policies regarding institutional reforms and (iii) Policies regarding marketing and prices.

Technological Measures:

In order to increase the volume of production and productivity in agricultural sector, the authorities have stressed for technological breakthrough in Indian agriculture. The basic element of new agricultural strategy is a package of programme, containing H.Y.V. seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides and assured irrigation facilities, introduced in 1966 in selected regions of the country.

Major steps have been taken to increase irrigation facilities through measure, medium and minor irrigation projects. Further, the policies aimed at expanding area under cultivation through intensive firming. Thus, the technological policies aim at irrigation and green revolution.

Institutional Policies:

In order to bring social justice and increase productivity, the land reform measures were introduced at the initial stage of planning. Land reform measures include:

(i) Abolition of intermediaries (Zamindars, Jagirdars);

(ii) Tenancy reforms e.g. (a) regulated rents paid by tenant to landlords, (b) security provision of tenure to tenants;

(iii) Imposition of ceiling on land holdings and distribution procured land among landless labourers and marginal farmers.

The land reform measures also supported Vonda Movement of Vinova Bhave which aimed at a proper distribution of landed assets through moral persuasion. Thus, the land reform measures were designed to eliminate inter-me diaries and abolish all types of exploitation of tenants, changing the agrarian atmosphere of the economy. Institutional reforms also included provision of rural credit by institutional agencies like co-operatives, commercial banks and regional rural banks.

Pricing Policies:

In order to provide a fair return to the farmers, the Government has adopted a procurement and support price system. The basic philosophy behind support price is to ensure a fair return to the farmers in the years of surplus production. For this, the Government has appointed the Agricultural Prices Commission to determine the support price and to provide incentives to the farmers

To expand production the Government has instituted food Corporation of India to maintain buffer stock and distribute agricultural production through Public Distribution System.

Other Measures

(a) Co-operative firming and consolidation of holdings:

In order to check sub-division and fragmentation of land, the Government has introduced consolidation of holdings and encouraged co­ operative firming. Consolidation aims at uniting all plots of land, owned by a particular farmer at a particular place which will avoid the wastage of time and energy, employed in cultivation and enable farmers to practise scientific technique of cultivation.

Co-operation aims at bringing small and marginal farmers together to enjoy the benefit of large scale production. Under co-operative farming, all the farmers pool their land together and practise joint, firming.

(b) Institutions involving people’s participation:

No planning can become successful unless the common people join hands with the planning authority to carry out the plans and programmes, designed for their own betterment. With this objective, the Community Development Programme was initiated in 1952 in the country.

The community development is a programme of the people, by the people and for the people. Government is providing only the financial assistance and technical support to help people to help them selves. Since then, a large number of programmes have been implemented in the country for the benefit of the people. Integrated Rural Development Programme is carried out in all the blocks of the country for an integrated development of the rural people.

(c) Improved agricultural marketing:

The government also improved the system of agricultural marketing through the establishment of regulated markets and introduction of a variety of measures like standardization of weights and measures, grading and standardization of firm out-put and providing information regarding market price to farmers.

(d) Minimum wages etc:

In order to improve the conditions of the agricultural labourers, the Government has enacted minimum wages, abolition of bonded labour, grant of agricultural land to landless labourers and schemes for expanding rural employment.

(e) Research and training:

The Government has also encouraged research and training to discover new H.Y.V. seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, soil conservation and social forestry in order to promote agriculture. The Sixth Plan introduced T and V (Training and Visit) system under which attention was given to improve the educational and technical knowledge in the agricultural sector by linking the agricultural universities and research centres with the actual farmers. To consolidate the experience and achievements, a national agricultural extension project has been launched.

In order to extend Green Revolution to eastern regions, the Seventh Plan introduced two specific programmes:

(g) In order to increase production of pulses, a centrally sponsored, national pulses development programme was adopted in 1986-87. Similarly, national oil-shed development project was launched in 1984-85 to increase the production of oil-shed.

(h) In order to provide financial support to farmers in the event of crop failure as a result of natural calamities and to restore the credit eligibility of farmers after a crop failure, a countrywide Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme was introduced in 1985. This C.C.I. Scheme has covered an area-of 720 lakhs of hectares of land, ensuring a sum of Rs. 10000 crores by the year 1993-94.