What are the important Characteristics of Indian Agriculture?

India is essentially an agricultural country where agriculture plays a pivotal role in dominating the economic, social and cultural life of the people. So much so that even the prospects of ruling political parties and governments depend upon the quantum of agricultural productions and availability of cheap food grains for masses. Following are some of the broad features of the Indian agriculture:

1. Indian agriculture is subsistent type of agriculture whose prime aim is to meet the food and other requirements of its vast population. Farmers select the crops with major objective of meeting their domestic needs rather than generating surplus for national and international markets. It is recently that agriculture is becoming commercialised and market oriented, a role gaining popularity in devel­oped areas and amongst the big farmers.

2. Indian agriculture is characterised by heavy population pressure. About 70 per cent of the coun­try’s population derives its livelihood from agricul­ture and allied occupations. Since India’s population is growing at a faster rate of 2.1 per cent per annum the per capita availability of agricultural land has declined from 0.75 ha. In 1951 to 0.29 ha. In 1971 and 0.13 ha. In 1991 (cf. world average of 4.5 ha). This puts enormous pressure on agricul­ture.

3. Indian agriculture has the predominance of the cultivation of food grains which occupy 76% of the total cropped area and account for 80% of the total agricultural production of the country. These cereals include rice, wheat, millet, gram, maize and pulses which are grown to meet the food require­ments of India’s vast population (1027 millions in 2001).

4. The agriculture shows diversity of crops. Sometimes four-five crops are grown simultane­ously in the same field. This is done to ensure some agricultural production during unfavorable weather conditions. This mixed cropping reduces the agri­cultural output and per hectare yield.

5. India has the highest percentage (53%) of its geographical area under cultivation in compari­son to many countries (USA 16.3%, China 11.8%, Japan 14.9%, Canada 4.3%, etc.) of the world. The climatic conditions especially temperature helps in providing a long growing season throughout the year. Due to pressure of population and consequent expansion in agricultural lands vast tracts of forests have been removed from the plains. Here there is very little scope for increasing cropped area and in certain pockets even negative trend is being wit­nessed.

6. Due to physical, economic and social fac­tors the landholdings are tiny, fragmented and un­suitable for modern methods of agriculture.

7. In India intensive farming is carried on in limited areas. Elsewhere it is practiced on traditional lines. That is why per hectare yield of different crops is much lower than other countries of the world and India’s total agricultural production is not very sat­isfactory and rewarding.

Although with the applica­tion of chemical fertilisers and crop safety measures there has been marked increase in per hectare yield of different crops (wheat from 663 kg/ha in 1950-51 to 2583 kg/ha in 1998-99, rice from 668 kg/ha in 1950-51 to 1928 kg/ha. in 1998-99, maize from 547 kg/ha. in 1950-51 to 1755 kg/ha. in 1998-99, oil seeds from 481 kg/ha. in 1950-51 to 944 kg/ha in 1998-99 and groundnut from 775 kg/ha. in 1950-51 to 1210 kg/ha in 1998-99) but it is still much lower from international standard.

8. Indian agriculture utilises a number of draught animals like bullocks, he buffaloes, camels etc. in agricultural work. It is also labor based enterprise where all agricultural operations like till­ing, sowing, weeding, sprinkling of insecticides/ pesticides, harvesting, threshing etc. are carried by human hands. Although the use of agricultural ma­chinery is replacing animal and human power but the pace of progress is very slow and confined to rich sections of the cultivators.

9. Indian agriculture is mostly dependent on rainfall whose variability in time and place has adverse effect on agricultural output. It is really a matter of concern that despite five decades of con­stant endeavor only 41.2% of the total cropped area has been brought under irrigation. Rest is at the mercy of rain-god. That is why when rain fails agricultural production is badly affected, scarcity prevails and prices reach sky high. If the entire agricultural area is brought under irrigation agricul­tural production may be easily doubled.

10. On an average, climatic and seraphic fac­tors are favourable for agriculture. That is why where enough moisture is available either through rainfall or irrigation three to four crops can be raised in a year. But in the absence of adequate moisture even the cultivation of single crop becomes difficult.

11. Indian agriculture puts minimum atten­tion on fodder crops (4% of cropped area). This together with lack of good pastures has detrimental effect over the development of dairy farming. India has the largest number of cattle but it occupies an insignificant place in respect of cattle products in the world.

12. Indian agriculture has been the victim of negligence and step motherly treatment by the gov­ernment. Still much attention is focused on the development of industries and urban areas neglect­ing the vast countryside. The remunerative price for agricultural products, restoring tiller’s right over land, and schemes of crop insurance are still Cherished dreams difficult to be realised in near future.

13. Despite some breakthroughs, the basic structure of the agrarian economy still remains tradi­tional in India. Established centuries ago, these structures of a self-contained rural economy, founded in caste-derived occupational land tenures made complex by absentee and parasitic landlords, have been slow to respond to modernization.

14. Indian agriculture suffers from numerous problems, i.e., small land holdings, unscientific method of farming, less irrigational facilities, less use of chemical, bio and natural fertilisers, greater vulner­ability to pests and diseases, less remunerative prices for agricultural products, poverty amongst and lack of infrastructural facilities etc.

15. Indian agriculture also lacks definite a cultural land use policy at national or regional it is on the sweet will of the farmer to grow one another crop. This sometimes leads to excess production and sometimes scarcity. Lack of marking and storage facility and the activity of bro and middlemen deprive farmers to fetch reductive prices for agricultural products.

16. In India agriculture is not considered to an honorable profession. This leads to dissepiments and lack of enthusiasm amongst farmers people prefer a petty government job to agriculture Rich farmers invest their agricultural profits in agricultural sectors which are more remunerate There is mass exodus of people from rural to areas in search of lucrative jobs. There is con flow of human and material resources from villa to the cities. This has led to mushroom growth urban centers and slums.

17. There is a need for initiating the process agricultural rehabilitation which should consist effecting improvements on several fronts, in inquest, in social institutions and in reducing de graphic pressures.