Making Indian agriculture sustainable and competitive

Source: The post Making Indian agriculture sustainable and competitive has been created, based on the article “What can the budget do for agriculture” published in “Indian Express” on 23rd December 2024

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper3-Agriculture- marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraint

Context: The article emphasizes making agriculture productive, competitive, and sustainable. It suggests increasing agri-R&D, promoting balanced fertiliser use, improving value chains for fruits and vegetables, reducing anti-market policies, and prioritizing farmers’ welfare while addressing climate challenges and environmental sustainability.

What are the key challenges in Indian agriculture?

1. Climate change impacts agriculture, with temperatures rising by 0.7°C since 1951 and monsoon precipitation decreasing by 6%.
2. Soil health is declining due to poor farming practices and imbalanced fertiliser use.
3. Fertiliser subsidies promote excessive nitrogen (urea) usage while neglecting phosphates (P), potash (K), and micronutrients.
4. India’s negative Producer Support Estimate (PSE) of -15.5% highlights anti-market policies like export controls, price dumping, and trade restrictions.

How can agriculture become more sustainable and climate-resilient?

1. Agri-R&D Investment: Increase spending from 0.5% to 1% of agri-GDP for developing climate-resilient crops and technologies.
2. Soil Health Management: Promote balanced fertilisation with biofertilisers, nano-urea, and micronutrients.
3. Natural Farming Mission: Focus on sustainable agriculture, but balance it with population growth needs.

For detailed information on Technologies for sustainable agriculture development read this article here

What reforms are needed in Indian Agriculture?

1. Increase Agri-R&D: Raise spending from 0.5% to 1% of agri-GDP for climate-resilient agriculture.
2. Balance Fertiliser Use: Balance fertiliser subsidies by reducing the skew towards urea, which leads to overuse of nitrogen and underuse of other nutrients. Implement policies encouraging the use of biofertilisers and micronutrients for soil health.
3. Implement Direct Income Transfer: Use data from PM-KISAN and soil health cards to ensure efficient fertiliser pricing.
4. Strengthen Value Chains: Follow the milk sector model (similar to the National Dairy Development Board) to increase farmers’ share in fruits and vegetable prices from one-third to 75–80%.
5. Avoid Anti-Market Policies: Stabilize Export Policies: Avoid abrupt export bans and restrictions to ensure stable market conditions for farmers, minimizing negative market price supports and enhancing farmer incomes.

Question for practice:

Examine the key challenges and necessary reforms in Indian agriculture to make it more sustainable, competitive, and climate-resilient.