3 Agriculture in India

The Indian subcontinent is the site of a civilization as ancient as any continent in the world.

The most important event in the social history of India was land reforms and implemented during

mid-fifties. Indian agriculture has an extensive background which goes back to ten thousand years.

Simultaneously, upgrading of upcoming technology has also played a significant role in nourishing

of agriculture production. Double monsoon led to the two harvests being harvested in one year.

Indian products very soon reached to the world market via existing trading networks and foreign

crops were introduced to India. The land and water management systems started developing with

an aim of providing uniform growth. Agriculture in India has a significant history. Today, India

ranks second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry and fisheries

accounted for 16.6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2009, about 50 per cent of

the total workforce. The economic contribution of agriculture to India's GDP is steadily declining

with the country's broad-based economic development. Still, agriculture is demographically the

broadest economic sector and plays an important part in the overall socioeconomic fabric of India

(Bharatiya Anand 2012).

The territory of total arable land in India is 1,269,219 square km, which

represents about 56.78 per cent of the overall land zone of the country. Arable land in India is

decreasing because continuous ever increasing number of inhabitants and

urbanization.

3.1 Geography

India is also known as its official name republic of India (Bharat Ganrajya). It is the seventh

largest country with a total area of 3.28 million square km. India is situated north of the equator

between 8 degree 4’ and 37 degree 6’ north latitude, 68 degree 7’ and 97 degree 25’ east longitude;

it occupies a large area of South Asia. India is bounded by the Indian Ocean on South and the

Arabian Sea on the South-west.

It shares land borders with Pakistan on the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan are

differentiated by the Himalaya on the north-east, and Burma, Bangladesh on the east. India also

shares border by Andaman- and Nicobar Islands with Thailand and Indonesia. There are two types

of climate known in India, one according to geography, one according to region. Figure 3.1 gives

an overview over the geographical position of India and its political states.

Figure 3.1: Political Map of India

Source: http://www.Indianholidayplanner.in/Geography.html

3.1.1 Geographical Region

The mainland of India has four geographical regions; mountains, the plains, the deserts and

the southern peninsula.

Mountainous Region

It is comprised of the Himalaya, the highest mountain ranges in the World. The glaciers in

the Himalaya and the monsoon rains are sources of water for perennial rivers in the plains. During

the monsoon season, the heavy water coming out of these rivers causes frequent flooding.

The Plains

These are mainly made up of basins by three main rivers in India - the Indus (also called

Sindhu), the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. These fertile plains run through most of the Northern-,

Central- and Eastern India, while most of South India is covered by the Deccan Plateau. Besides

Deccan Plateau, Malwa Plateau (in the west) and Chota Nagpur Plateau (in the east) are also there.

Desert Area

In the desert area, Thar Desert in Rajasthan, Rann of Kutch in Gujarat and the Trans-

Himalayan cold deserts of Laddakh are important regions of Indian geography.

Southern Peninsular

This part of India has mountains or hilly ranges - Western and Eastern Ghats, Nilgiri ranges

with coastal areas. The West of India is bordered by the Arabian Sea, whereas there is Bay of

Bengal in the East of India and Indian Ocean towards the South (www.asianinfo.org).

This unique geography and geology of India strongly influence its climate along with the

characteristic monsoon climatic system.

3.1.2 Climatic Region

India is home of an extraordinary variety of climatic region. According to

climate, India has six regions as shown in the figure 3.2.

Tropical Wet

The west coastal plain, Sahyadris (constitute a large range of mountains along the western

side of India), and southern part of Assam have this type of climate. The temperatures are high

throughout the year, even in the hill the temperature never goes below 18.2 degree Celsius.

Evergreen forests are typical feature of the region. The only crops are growing here are tea, coffee

and other varieties of spices.

Tropical Savannah

Most of the non-progressive parts of peninsula enjoy this climate, except of semi-arid tract

to the east of the Western Ghats (Sahyadri). During the winter seasons, and rising as high as 32

degree Celsius in summer, are the main characteristic of this climate. As example, Nagpur has

around 35 degree Celsius in May, which is the hottest month and 20 degree Celsius in December,

as the coldest month of year. Tamil Nadu comes under this semi-arid tract and gets rain while

winter season.

Semi-Arid

A long stretch of land in the Southward and east of the Western Ghats and

Cardamom Hills have this kind of climate of low and uncertain rainfall. The

temperature during December varies between 20 and 24 degree Celsius and 33 degree Celsius in

May. This type of climate is suitable only for dry farming or livestock rearing.

Arid

The western part of Barmer, Jaisalmer and Bikaner districts of Rajasthan and most of the

part of Kachchh form the sandy wastes of the Thar; which experiences a typical desert climate.

Ganga Nagar has recorded a maximum temperature of 50 degree Celsius, the highest record. This

extreme climate makes it a sparsely populated region of India.

Humid Subtropical

A large area from south of the Himalayas, Punjab-Haryana, east of the Aravalli range, Uttar

Pradesh, Bihar, northern part of west Bengal and Assam experience this type of climate. Winters

are dry due to land derived winter winds, except for a little rain received from the westerly

depressions. The summers are hot and the temperature can reach 46 degree Celsius in the lowlands.

The difference in rainfall between the east and the west increases a wide difference in the natural

vegetation.

Mountain

In the Himalayan Mountains the temperature falls by 0.6 degree Celsius for

every 100 meter rise in altitude, and this increase to a variety of climates from nearly tropical in

the foothills to tundra type above the snow line. Most of the snowfall is in the form of snow during

late winter and spring months. The great Himalayan range witnesses’ heavy

snowfall during December to February. The Trans-Himalayan region, Ladakh, where the south-

west monsoon fails to reach, has a dry and cold climate and spare and stunned vegetation

(www.facts-about-India.com).

Figure 3.2: Climatic Zone Map of India

Source: http://mapsof.net/map/India-climatic-zone-map#.UVrCrhynpBc

3.2 Agricultural Production

India has the benefit of being a vast country. It has also the benefit of having different

climate, monsoon and soil that makes India to produce several types of vegetables, crops, fruits

and flower. Further, agriculture in different states of India plays an important role towards

economic growth and social structure of each and every individual of the Indian states. From the

past, India has been agriculture based country and agriculture was only the source of livelihood.

India grows almost each and every crop. Even today the agricultural production from different

states of India and its productivity growth is predicated to a large extent upon the development of

its 700 million strong rural populations. There are varieties of crop grown from Kashmir to

Kanyakumari and western coast of Gujarat to extreme north eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh

would be hundreds of crops.

Rice

Rice is the most important crop of India. It also known as Kharif crop, as

explained in chapter 2. It sustains to the half of the Indian population.

As seen in figure 3.3, this crop covers one third of total cultivated area of the country. It can grow

in various conditions, like different temperature and range of rain as in Haryana and Punjab 150-

300 cm is suitable for crops but in western Uttar Pradesh less than 100 cm requires. Rice can grow

not only in plain areas but also below sea level in Kerala, on the hills of north eastern part of India

and in the valleys of Kashmir. Rice is grown in almost every states of India and it needs labour

instead of machine because these crops are grown in rainy season.

Figure 3.3: Rice Producing States

Source: NIOS online

Figure 3.4: Wheat Producing States

Source: NIOS online

Wheat

India’s second most important crop is wheat. It is a Rabi crop and it is sown

beginning of winter and harvested in early summer. In the northern and north-western region of

India, people prefer to eat products made of wheat instead of rice. Wheat can also be grown by

irrigation method if the rain is less than seventy-five cm. Plain areas are most suitable for wheat

production. These crops are highly mechanized now a days for the distribution list, see figure 3.4.

Millets

Millets are the Kharif crop and known for short duration warm weather crops. Mainly these

crops are sown in mid-summer and harvested in beginning of winter season. Today these millets

crops are consumed by the poor population of India as their staple food, named as Jowar, Bajra,

Ragi, Korra, Kodon, Kutki, Hraka, Bauti and Rajgira. In India Bajra, Jowar and Ragi are grown

large scale. These crops are dry land crop, they do not need too much rain and as it is less sensitive

crop it can be harvested on hard surface.

Pulses and Grams

Pulses and grams are the main source of vitamins and proteins to the vegetarian population

of India. It includes few varieties of crops like gram, tur or arhar, urd (black gram), mung (green

gram), peas, and lentil. These all are Rabi crops and it can be harvested as mixed crop with wheat,

barley or mustard. These crops are able to maintain atmospheric nitrogen in the soil and restore

the soil fertility. However, 90 per cent of the total production comes from five states: Madhya

Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Maharashtra (NIOS online).

Commercial or Cash Crop

These crops are grown for sale either as raw material or semi processed product. It includes

of sugarcane, cotton, jute, tea, coffee, groundnut, mustard and rapeseed.

Sugarcane is a Kharif crop and the main source of sweet. It is a substitute of petroleum products

and element of other chemical products.

In manufacturing of alcohol, it provides raw material and its bagasse (crushed

sugarcane) is also used for manufacturing of paper. It needs seventy-five to

hundred-fifty cm rainfall. It can be grown in any soil but it needs heavy fertilizers

because it exhausts the soil fertility in very short period. It is labour-oriented crop for sowing,

weeding, cutting and transporting to the mills, for all this activity, plain and level plateau is

suitable. A large part of arable land is used for sugarcane harvest, the Satluj-Ganga plain from

Punjab to Bihar containing 51 per cent of the total area and 60 per cent of the country’s total

production of sugarcane.

Cotton is a Kharif crop known as fibre crop and it is not only used as raw material for cotton textile

industries but also its seeds used in Vanaspati oil industry.

Tea was discovered in the hilly and forest area of Assam. India is the leader in

producing tea. It is planted along with shady trees. Hill slopes and valleys are suitable for plantation

of tea. It need rain fall of 150-300 cm range.

Coffee is grown in the hills of Western Ghats. It need same rain fall for cultivation as tea. It requires

skilled labour for cultivation

Figure 3.5: Commercial Crops Producing States

Source: http://www.mapsofIndia.com/Indiaagriculture/commercialcrops.htm

Vegetables

India is the world’s second largest producer of fresh green vegetables.

Vegetables are typically grown in India on field condition. As shown in figure 3.6;

potatoes, bitter gourd, stripe gourd, pumpkin, cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, onion,

garlic, green pepper, drum sticks, lady's finger, spinach, cucumber, mushroom,

mushroom spawn, corn, green chilli and peas are the major vegetable crops cultivated in Indian

states. Some of these vegetables are normally grown in almost every state in India.

According to the horticulture board of India, vegetables are mostly grown in the area of Jammu &

Kashmir, Himanchal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Karnataka,

Orissa and west Bengal (Bijay Kumar 2011).

Figure 3.6: Vegetables and Fruits Produced in India

Source: Bijay Kumar 2011, Annexure 6

Fruits

Fruits are mostly grown in the areas of Jammu and Kashmir,

Himanchal Pradesh, hilly regions of northern part, and Uttar Pradesh, but other states like

Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and the

eastern part of India also produce fruits (see figure 3.7); bananas, guavas, beans, cherry,

cucumbers, dried fruits, dried truffles, carrots, lemon, mandarins, mangos, meslin,

shallots, apples, asparagus, grapes, oranges, gherkins, turnips, oranges, papayas and pineapples

(www.grassoportal.com).

Figure 3.7: Fruit Map of India

Source: http://www.mapsofIndia.com/Indiaagriculture/fruits-map/

Spices

Spices are the soul of Indian food. Black pepper, chilli powder, chillies, cinnamon,

cloves, coriander powder, cumin, curry powders, dry ginger, dry red chillies, cardamom, anise,

salt, onion powder, pepper, fenugreek, clove, ginger, turmeric and turmeric powder are spices

grown in India. Especially these spices are grown in hill areas.

3.3 Economic History

Indian agricultural scenario has passed through different drastic wave of changes and has

achieved many milestones. Indian agriculture began by 9000 BC as a result of early cultivation of

plants and domestication of crops and animals. At the same period, human started domesticating

of the elephant. In the period of the Neolithic revolution, between 8000-5000 BC, agriculture was

not main source of sustaining human society. Agriculture was not the medium to support for human

societies, but those who adopted it; they had survived and passed their production technique to the

next generation. Eventually, the agricultural practices enabled people to establish permanent

settlements and expand urban based societies. The basic development of Indian agriculture had

started before Harappan civilization.

The Aryans had knowledge of irrigation technology and they expanded

cultivated land in northern India. Later, the Vedic people (1500 BC to 200 BC)

experimented with the medicine made of plants; several types of grass and trees in jungle. Still

people in India worships the trees like banyan, pipal and neem, explained in one of the holistic

medical system of Ayurveda.

The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in ancient

India, and it was ruled by the Maurya Dynasty from 322 to 185 BC. In this period, soils were

categorized and construction and maintenance of dams and provision of horse-drawn chariots was

developed, quicker than traditional bullock carts (Agarwal 2011).

3.3.1 Agriculture and Colonialism

The early phase of Industrial Revolution witnessed new agricultural practices like

enclosure, mechanization, four-field crop rotation and selective breeding. The

invention of ploughing field was a great experience of saving labour, about 6000 years ago and it

was the beginning of systematic different sources of other forms of energy. Over 2500 years ago,

Indian farmers had discovered and begun farming many spices and sugarcane. It was in India,

between the sixth and fourth centuries BC, that the Persians, followed by the Greeks, discovered

the famous ‘reeds that produce honey without bees’. On their return journey, the Macedonian

soldiers carried the ‘honey bearing reeds’, thus spreading sugar and sugarcane agriculture.

People in India had also invented, by about 500 BC, the process to produce sugar

crystals. In the local language, these crystals were called Khanda, which is the source of the word

candy. Before the eighteens century, India was the only large producer of

sugar and some merchants started exporting it to Europe as a luxury spice.

The English East India Company was formed in 1600 to trade with India. In 1639, the

English established a trading base in India. In 1690 the English established a base in Bengal, which

grew into Calcutta. In the late seventeen century, the Dutch also declined and the French replaced

them. A series of wars were fought in the years 1767-1769, 1780-1784, 1790-1792 and 1799, and

finally British took over most of the territory in India. Indian states were forced to accept British

'protection'.

India de-industrialized between 1750 and 1860, and two main epochs, with very different

deindustrialization causes, distinguish that century. The first epoch ran from about 1750 to 1810

and was a direct result of poor climate conditions and an indirect result of the dissolution of the

Mughal Empire. India’s share of world industrial production went more down than in any other

part of non-European world.

During the second epoch, running from about 1810 to 1860, productivity advance, by adoption of

the factory system, it drove down the relative price of textiles world-wide, a trend that was

magnified as a world transport revolution lowered the price of European textile imports even

further everywhere in the periphery.

Thus, while the productivity of Indian agriculture stopped its decline during this period, under the

relative security of Company rule and reinforced by a secular fall in drought frequency, and while

the rise in grain prices slowed down and then stabilized, the relative price of

grain continued to rise. The deindustrialization in India was over by the late nineteen century, and

it began industrialized again as it did in Japan, Brazil, Mexico and other parts of the poor periphery

(Lambert 2011).

3.3.2 Indian Agriculture since 1947

Over fifty years since its independence, India has made vast progress towards food security.

Indian population has tripled, but food-grain production more than quadrupled. Thus there has

been substantial increase in available food-grain per capita.

Prior to the mid-1960s, India was dependent on imports and food aid to meet domestic

requirements. However, two years of severe drought in 1965 and 1966, had taught India to re-

union its agricultural policy, and that India could not rely on foreign aid and foreign imports for

food security. India adopted significant policy reforms and focused on the goal

of food grain self-sufficiency.

Along the farming in terms of green revolution; the bio-fertilizer came into

existence. The introduction of high-yielding varieties of seeds and the increased use of fertilizers

and irrigation are known collectively as the ‘Green Revolution’. Basically, bio-fertilizer is made

by rotten vegetables; useless part of crops. Before bio-fertilizer, compost fertilizer was in use and

still farmers are using it to increase productivity. By using the dung of domestic animals, rotten

vegetables, grasses, useless part of crops and some other elements, it turns into fertilizer called

‘compost fertilizer’. Nowadays so many factories are making fertilizer by using different types of

chemicals and it is usual to use this kind of fertilizers, because it is easy for the farmers just to buy

it from the market rather than waiting for so long for bio or compost fertilizer.

It began with the decision to adopt superior yielding, disease resistant wheat varieties in

combination with better farming knowledge to improve productivity. The Indian state of Punjab

led India's Green Revolution and earned the credit of being ‘the country's bread basket’.

A hectare of Indian wheat farms that produced an average of 0.8 tons in 1948, but in 1975

it produced 4.7 tons of wheat in the same land. Such rapid growths in farm productivity lead India

to be capable of supplying to others by the 1970. A great success of agricultural policy in wheat,

the Green Revolution technology of India spread to rice.

However, since irrigation infrastructure was very poor, Indian farmer innovated with tube-

wells, to harvest ground water. Farmers began adopting improved new methods

and upgraded technologies in dairying, fisheries and livestock, and meeting the diversified food

needs of India's growing population. As with Rice, the lasting benefits of improved seeds and

improved farming technologies now depends on whether. India developed infrastructure such as

irrigation network, flood control systems, reliable electricity production capacity,

all season rural and urban highways, and cold storage to prevent food spoilage, modern retail

stores, and competitive buyers of products of the Indian farmer. This is increasingly the focus of

Indian agriculture policy (www.adseva.in).

3.4 Economy Today

The agricultural sector is one of the fundamental building blocks of the Indian economy.

During the past five years, agriculture sector has witnessed spectacular advances in the production

of agriculture and dairy products. India is the world’s second largest producer of agriculture

products. Agriculture provides gainful employment to about two third of the population and 30 per

cent to the country’s income. Agriculture sector is the dominant sector of the Indian economy,

growing with an average rate of 3.4 per cent from financial year 2004-05.

Agriculture accounts for about 10 per cent of the total export earnings and provides raw material

to a large number of other industries. According to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products,

Export Development Authority says that exports of agricultural products are expected to be more

than USD 22 billion by 2014 and account for 5 per cent.

India ranks second worldwide in farm output. Currently, the agriculture

contribution in the gross domestic product is 14.8 per cent compared to 30 per cent in 1990-91.

Share of agriculture and allied sectors to GDP declined further to 13.9 per cent in 2011-12 from

14.5 per cent in 2010-11, according to the ‘Economic Survey 2011-12’. The survey says further,

that agriculture and allied sectors are estimated to achieve a growth rate of 2.5 per cent during

2011-12. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for 15.7 per

cent of the GDP in 2009–10. According to The Daily Pioneer’s survey, the growth rate of the

agriculture sector has fallen short of planned target, despite record food grain production. During

the current five year plan it is estimated at 3.28 per cent instead of the target expected of 4 per cent.

From 19 per cent in 2004-05, the percentage share of agriculture and allied

sectors in GDP dropped to 18.3 per cent in 2005-06 and then declined again to 17.4 per cent in

2006-07. It further dropped to 16.8 per cent in 2007-08 and 15.8 per cent in 2008-09 and reached

to 14 per cent in 2011-12 (Department of Agriculture & Cooperation 2012).

Figure 3.8 shows the decline in GDP:

Figure 3.8: Agricultural Contribution to GDP years 2004/05– 2011/12

Source:http://www.equitymaster.com/5minWrapUp/charts/index.asp?date=09/10/2012&story=1&title=Agric

ulture-losing-significance-in-Indian-GDP

3.4.1 Domestic Market Contribution

Despite of declining Indian GDP, the production of agriculture sector is

increasing. According to FAO, the world agriculture statistics 2010, India is the world's largest

producer of many fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, major spices, select fresh meats, select fibrous

crops such as jute, several staples such as millets and castor oil seed. India is the second largest

producer of wheat and rice, the world's major food staples. India is also the world's second or third

largest producer of several dry fruits, agriculture-based textile raw materials, roots and tuber crops,

pulses, farmed fish, eggs, coconut, sugarcane and numerous vegetables. India ranked within the

world's five largest producers of over 80 per cent of agricultural produce items, including many

cash crops such as coffee and cotton in 2010. India has grown to become among the top three

global producers of a broad range of crops, including wheat, rice, pulses, cotton, peanuts, fruits,

and vegetables. India is also one of the world's five largest producers of livestock

and poultry meat, with one of the fastest growth rates, as of 2011. As of 2011, India had the largest

herds of buffalo and cattle, the largest producer of milk, and has one of the largest and fastest

growing poultry industries in the world (Department of Agriculture & Cooperation 2012). Figure

3.9 shows the contribution of the agricultural products to the GDP.

Figure 3.9: Contribution to GDP 2009 - 10

Source: Department of Agriculture & Cooperation 2012, p 9

Horticulture Production

Fruits

Including mango, citrus, banana, guava, apple and papaya are grown on large scale and it

holds more than 80 per cent of all fruits are produced in India. As shown in figure 3.10, pineapple

and sapota are 1.9 per cent, grapes 1.6 per cent, pomegranate 1 per cent and litchi 0.7 per cent of

the total fruit production, and 10.1 per cent of other fruits are also grown and these fruits are

demanded in India. In 2010-11, the total production of fruits was 74,878 million tonnes and in

2011-12, the production increases to 3 per cent. About 39 per cent of world’s export of mango and

23 per cent of world’s banana are produced in the country.

The contribution of the Indian states in producing fruits in 2010-11, as shown in figure

3.11, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat were major producer

with the market share of 13.3 per cent, 12.7 per cent, 12.6 per cent respectively.

States like Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, west Bengal, Kerala, and others

were leading in producing fruits (Bijay Kumar 2011).

Figure 3.10: Production Share of Major Fruit Crops 2010 – 11

Source: Bijay Kumar 2011, p 5

Figure 3.11: Production Share-Leading Fruit Producing States 2012 - 11

Source: Bijay Kumar 2011, p 9

Vegetables

India is next only to China in area and production of vegetables and occupies first position

in the production of cauliflower, second in onion and third in cabbage in the world. The total

production of vegetable was 146,555 million tonnes in 2010-11 and in 2011-12; the production

grows to 3 per cent. Potato has the biggest shares of 28.9 per cent of all the

vegetables are produced (figure 3.12).

In the production of vegetables West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh

are the major producer and have the big market share of 18.2 per cent, 12.1 per cent, 10 per cent,

and 8.1 per cent respectively. In vegetable production Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa,

Maharashtra and Haryana are the leading states in India, as seen in figure 3.13 (Bijay Kumar 2011).

Figure 3.12: Production Share of Major Vegetable Crops 2010 - 11

Source: Bijay Kumar 2011, p 5

Figure 3.13: Production Share-Leading Vegetable Producing States 2010 - 11

Source: Bijay Kumar 2011, p 11

Spices

India is also famous for its large variety of spices worldwide. India produces a wide variety

of spices like black pepper, cardamom, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli and a large variety of tree-

and seed spices.

The total production of spices was 4.3 million metric tonnes in 2010-11 and the area

covered was 2.56 million hectares. Generally ginger 13.12 per cent, turmeric 18.56 per cent, garlic

19.77 per cent, and chillies 22.87 per cent have the market share of more than 70 per cent of all

market. The major states growing spices are Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka,

Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (Bijay Kumar 2011; www.eands.dacnet.nic.in). Figures 3.14 and

figure 3.15 show the discussed data:

Figure 3.14: Production Share of Major Spices 2010 - 11

Source: Bijay Kumar 2011, p 7

Figure 3.15: Production of Major Crops 2000 – 11 in MT

Source:http://cvsingh.hubpages.com/hub/Importance-of-agriculture-in-Indian-economy

Grain Production

India has achieved a record food grain production of 241 million tonnes (MT) in 2010-11.

An estimated total production of 241 million tonnes in FY 2011 was achieved because of record

production of wheat 85.9 MT, and pulses 18.1 MT. The production of wheat, rice and cotton has

broken since last 60 year record in 2011. In the tobacco world, India has a very impressive and

progressive profile. In 2009-10, India was the second largest producer of tobacco by 750 million

kg, next to China (www.cvsingh.hubpages.com).

Livestock and dairy

India is the largest producer of milk in the world with 121 MT of capacity as in 2010-11.

India has the largest buffalo population (105 million). The value of output from livestock and

fisheries sectors was about 30 per cent of value of output from total of Agriculture, Animal

Husbandry & Fisheries sector. It is the third-largest producer of fish in the world (8.3 MT). With

107.9 MT milk productions in the year 2007-08, India continues to be the largest producer of milk

in the world. The country also produced 63,024 million of eggs and forty-four kg of wool as in

2010-11. In 2010 – 11 about 4.8 MT of meat was produced. India accounts for

57 per cent of the world’s buffalo population and 14 per cent of the cattle population (Department

of Agriculture & Cooperation 2012).

Figure 3.16: Production of Major Livestock Products

Source: based on Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture 2011 - 12,

Annexure V

Flower and dry fruits

In production of flowers, West Bengal with 40.35 per cent and Karnataka with 28.2 per

cent, are the major producers in 2010-11 in India. Floriculture is estimated to cover an area of 1.1

million hectare with a production of 670,000 MT of loose flowers and 13,009.3 million cut flowers.

India is the largest producer and consumer of cashew nuts. Total production of cashew is around

0.57 million tonnes. India is the third largest producer of coconut and leads ninety coconut-

producing countries of the world and it occupies top position in areca-nut production

(www.ibef.org).

3.4.2 Export Market

India is the second largest producer of fruits and it shares 12.5 per cent of world production.

India was the second largest exporter in the world, with export of 2,156,417 tonnes in 2009-10 and

it increases to 2,471,362 tonnes in 2010-11. India is world’s second largest exporter of fresh

vegetable and fruits; India is also famous worldwide for exporting tobacco; the country has

exported 252,298 tonnes of tobacco worth USD 923.94 million in 2010-11.

India has exported wheat of 397 tonnes in 2010-11. In exporting of pulses, India has jumped from

99,915 tonnes to 208,031 tonnes in 2010-11.

India is also one the biggest tea exporter in the world; it has exported 238,336 tonnes worth USD

736.45 million in 2010- 11. The export of coffee has increased from 157,414 tonnes to 232,627

tonnes; worth USD 661.77 million, in 2010- 11.

Sugar is one of the most exported products of India, it was 44,736 tonnes and it

increased to 1,714,372 tonnes in 2010-11.

The export of spices is increasing every year with constant price; in 2010-11 it was 762,713 tonnes

worth USD 1,768 million (www.agriexchange.apeda.gov.in; www.business-standard.com;

http://www.thehindu.com). Table 3.1 summarized the data:

Table 3.1: Exported Products 2009 - 11

Item Quantity(tonnes)

(2009-10)

Value

(Million USD)

Quantity(tonnes)

(2010-11)

Value

(Million USD)

Rice 2,156,417 2,365.83 2,471,362 2,544.78

Wheat 30 0.01 397 0.15

Pulses 99,915 86.75 208,031 190.52

Other cereals 2,892,416 625.71 3,220,093 803.61

Sesame seed 215,733 316.15 398,441 507.25

Tea 207,532 623.29 238,336 736.45

Coffee 157,414 429.74 232,627 661.77

Sugar 44,736 23.2 1,714,372 1,198.92

Spices 663,206 1,301.61 762,713 1,768.08

Groundnut 340,256 302.42 433,762 480.45

Cashew 117,980 591.35 105,755 619.23

Fresh vegetable _ 621.82 _ 559.53

Fresh fruits _ 479.55 _ 478.63

Fruits / veg. seed 8,883 30.57 11,622 40.52

Guergam meal 218,480 240.70 441,612 646.08

Oil meals 4,671,135 1,658.83 6,936,933 2,437.90

Niger seeds 6,004 5.10 12,863 9.85

Processed veg. _ 158.68 _ 167.88

Processed fruits &

juice

_ 245.04 _ 228.64

Tobacco 224,867 437.3 252,298 923.94

Poultry product 101,678 82.69 5,1675 69.82

Source: own diagram based http://www.dgciskol.nic.in/

India is the leading country in farming; most of its products are worldwide

exported. India is the tenth largest economy by GDP and third largest economy by PPP. The

country has the membership of G-20 and BRICS Corporation (Brazil, Russia, India, China and

South Africa). After China, India is the biggest in farming. The agriculture contributes to the GDP

about 14.8 per cent to the country. India has grown to become among the top three global producers

of a broad range of crops, including wheat, rice, pulses, cotton, peanuts, fruits, and vegetables.

India is the second largest producer of wheat and rice, and also second or third largest producer of

different dry fruits, pulses, farmed fish, coconut, sugarcane and several kind of vegetable in the

world. India is the third largest producer of coconut in world. The country has the first position in

producing banana in the world and it has the share of 50 per cent of world’s production of guava.

About 39 per cent of world’s export of mango and 23 per cent of world’s bananas

are produced in India. India is the second producer of vegetables after China, and the country has

first position in producing cauliflower.

In 2011, India recorded of producing 244,000 kilo tonnes of food grains. India is also biggest

producer of spices. In 2009–10, India was the second largest producer of tobacco.

India is in the top five countries of producing livestock poultry meat in 2011. The country has

produced 121 million tonnes of milk and has world’s largest buffalo population of 105 million.

Despite of decline in country’s GDP, farming in India has a bright future according to all the data.