Salient Features of Indian Agriculture – Part 2

HYV (High Yielding Variety) Seeds → Green Revolution by Norman Borlaug

Government Schemes for farmers

• Subsidized power supply + Cheaper Credits + Better Roads
• Storage & Marketing policies for food grains & crops
• FCI → MSP to farmers + adequate public distribution of food grains + stabilize market volatility
• Redistribution of ownership holding of land by abolishing intermediaries (Zamindars, Absentee Landlords etc.)
• Bringing actual cultivators in direct contact with the state
• Ceiling on land holdings + Distribution of surplus land to landless agricultural labors & small farmers
• Land record modernization → to keep recorded copies of computerized data for proper distribution of land
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), agricultural universities, animal breeding centers → For research and development activities in agriculture
• Kissan Credit Card, Personal and Crop Insurance schemes, etc. have been launched
• Command Area Development Programme & Integrated Watershed Management Programme for better use of irrigation & land

Command Area Development Programme (CADP)

Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP)

• Flagship programme of Ministry of Rural Development which aims at 

• Harnessing, conserving and developing degraded natural resources such as soil, vegetative cover and water
• Prevention of soil run-off
• Rain water harvesting and recharging of the ground water table
• Increasing the productivity of crops,
• Introduction of multi-cropping and diverse agro-based activities
• Promoting sustainable livelihoods and increasing the household incomes
• Integrated Watershed Management Programme mainly consists of 3 major Programmes viz.

• Desert Development Programme (DDP)
• Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP)
• Integrated Wastelands Development Programme (IWDP)

Rainwater harvesting

• Rainwater harvesting is a technique used for collecting, storing, and using rainwater for landscape irrigation and other uses.
• Rainwater is collected from various manmade catchment surfaces.

Desert Development Programme (DDP)

• Under Ministry of Rural Development (Department of Land Resources)
• Desertification is the degradation of land in any dry land via:

• Extensive cultivation of one crop
• Use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides
• Shifting cultivation without adequate period of recovery
• Industrial and mining activities
• Overgrazing
• forest fires
• Unsustainable water management

• DDP was started both in hot desert areas of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana and the cold deserts of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, with an objective 

• To mitigate the adverse effects of desertification on crops, human and livestock population
• To restore ecological balance by harnessing, conserving and developing natural resources
• To implement developmental works through the watershed approach

Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP)

• Focuses on the non-arable land and drainage lines for in-situ soil and moisture conservation
• Programme includes agro- forestry, pasture development, horticulture and alternate land use
• Under Ministry of Rural Development (Department of Land Resources)
• Panchayati Raj Institutions have the right to monitor & review the programme at district, block and village levels
• Area development programmes to be implemented exclusively on watershed basis
• Watershed project to be, as far as possible, co-terminus with village boundary

Objectives of DPAP

• to minimize the adverse effects of drought on crops, livestock, productivity of land, water & human resources
• to optimize utilization of  the Watershed’s natural resources like land, water, vegetation
• to promote economic development & employment generation for the village community – directly or indirectly dependent on the water shed;

Integrated Wastelands Development Programme (IWDP)

• For improving productivity of waste & degraded lands keeping in view poverty, backwardness, gender & equity
• Focuses on at checking land degradation & putting such wastelands to sustainable use
• Increasing bio-mass availability especially that of fuel wood, fodder, fruits, fiber & small timber
• Under Ministry of Rural Development (Department of Land Resources)

Objectives of IWDP

• Wastelands development to enhance their productivity
• Aims at rural employment

Organic Farming

• Excludes the use of manufactured fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, fungicides & herbicides
• Strictly prohibits the use of plant growth regulators, livestock antibiotics, food additives, and genetically modified organisms
• Relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, biofertilizers, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity
• It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects

Green Manure

• a type of cover crop grown primarily to add nutrients and organic matter to the soil.
• a green manure crop is grown for a specific period of time, and then ploughed under and incorporated into the soil while it is still green or shortly after flowering
• provides subsidy on purchase of seeds & on cost for production of seeds for green manure plants
• Leguminous types → Have Nitrogen fixing ability for ex. Cowpeas, Soybeans
• Non- Leguminous types → For weed suppression & addition of biomass to the soil for ex. Sudan grass, Millets, Sorghum & Buckwheat

Biofertilizers & Organic fertilizers

Genetically Modified Food

• Modified form of agricultural plants to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content
• Using the latest molecular biology techniques & genetic engineering, plants are undertaken breeding to get the desired results
• Last decade, Genetically modified (GM) crops were introduced esp. for Cotton & Brinjal in India but as of now only GM Bt. Cotton production is allowed

Genetically modified foods have the potential to solve many of the world’s hunger and malnutrition problems, and to help protect and preserve the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides and herbicides.

Yet there are many challenges ahead for governments, especially in the areas of safety testing, regulation, international policy and food labeling.

Hence, we must proceed with caution to avoid causing unintended harm to human health and the environment as a result of our enthusiasm for this powerful technology.

Fertilizer

• A fertilizer is any organic or inorganic, natural or synthetic material added to soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to growth of plants.
• These fertilizers provide 6 macronutrients & 8 micronutrients to plants for well balanced growth.

• Macronutrients → Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Sulphur (S)
• Micronutrients → Boron, Copper (Cu), Nickel (Ni), Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Chlorine (Cl), Molybdenum (Mo)

• In India, Urea is the only controlled fertilizer, which is sold at statuary notified uniform sale price.
• The Phosphoric & Potassium fertilizers are under a decontrolled regime & are sold at indicated MRPs

NBS (Nutrient Based Subsidy)

• This scheme is for 22 grades of decontrolled fertilizers, which are provided to farmers at subsidized rates based on nutrient content (N, P, K & S) in these fertilizers.
• Additional subsidy is also provided on the fertilizers fortified with other secondary micronutrients & micronutrients as approved under Fertilizer control order (FCO)
• Subsidy given to companies is fixed annually on the basis of nutrient contents with MRPs of fertilizers has been left open
• Manufacturers are allowed to fix MRPs at reasonable level.
• But urea is not covered under the NBS scheme and government continues to provide subsidy on urea separately.
• Result → farmers are relying more on Urea than the new P & K fertilizers as prices of these decontrolled products under NBS have doubled relying on the control of manufacturers. 

Livestock India

• India → Largest population of livestock in the world
• Largest no. of castles in India are found at MP & UP
• Highest livestock density in India can be found at Maharashtra (1) & Haryana (2)
• Cattle density in India is approx. 12.8 cattle / 100 Ha
• Kamdhenu →2 Kg of Milk / Day
• Brackish Water aquaculture → for Shrimps
• Integrated Fisheries Project → Kochi
• Central Sheep Breeding Farm → Hisar
• Central frozen semen institute & training centre → HESARAGHATTA
• Central Poultry training institute → HESARGHATTA (Maize → An imp. poultry feed ingredient)

Famous Indian Crops