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Grain Gain

Presentation by S Viswanathan (SV)

Agriculture Consultancy Management Foundation (ACMF)

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Objective: A Green Dream…

Double Foodgrain Production

Revive the Green Revolution

Benefits Largest Numbers

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Agriculture is an important focus area for India

Tremendous impact on Economic growth: 22% of GDP

Nearly 60% (>600 million) of population directly involved in agriculture

Favorable climate all year around

Favorable politico-economic situation

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Impacts economic growth and large proportion of population

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Population Dependence

Impact of Agriculture, Manufacturing & Services

Contribution to GDP

Nearly 600 million Indians depend directly on Agriculture (54%)

– 210 million depend on Manufacturing (19%)

– 300 million depend on Services (27%)

Agriculture contributes around 22% of GDP

– Manufacturing contributes 27%

– Services contributes 51% (IT services 3%) Agriculture Manufacturing Services

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India’s climate favorable all year around

India well endowed with largest area of arable land – 420 million acres

Climate favorable all year around– Farming possible round the year; unlike in

Europe, China or most parts of the US, where agricultural operations possible only for 5-6 months a year

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Favorable Politico-economic Climate

Federal government anxious to accelerate growth

Prime minister sets 4% farm growth. This will be necessary to achieve a 10% GDP growth

Government interested in ensuring that growth is sustainable and manageable

Pressure from global competition – e.g. WTO

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Green Revolution in the 1960s was a great success

The Green Revolution initiative

From ship-to-mouth to food surplus

Saw regional shifts based on economics and not local consumption (e.g. Punjab state)

Foodgrain production increased from 72 million tonnes in 1967 to 108 million tonnes in 1971 – an increase of 50% in just 4 years

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But we have not built on initial success over the next 35 years

For the last 5 years, 2000-2005, food production has remained stagnant – at around 200 million tonnes.

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In addition India has low yields compared to the rest of the world

Tomato Production Per Acre

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Many US farms produce 60 tonnes of tomatoes per acre compared to <10 tonnes per acre for an Indian farm

Farmers in California produce 8.5 tonnes of rice per acre compared to India’s average of <1 tonne per acre

Rice Production Per Acre

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India’s lack of progress in agriculture is due to several factors

Fragmented, small land holdings

Lack of agro-climatic focus

Lack of technology and management inputs

Fertilizer companies’ traditional focus on NPK at the expense of micronutrients and soil analysis

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Lack of Agro-Climatic Focus

Many states in India produce similar food grains across the country (e.g. rice in West Bengal, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.)

But, agro-climatic zones vary around the country and are conducive for specific, targeted varieties of crops

In the US, each state has selected what is most suitable to its endowments: – States well endowed with water such has Illinois,

Indiana focus on corn and wheat – States like California and Florida focus on horticulture,

nuts, other exotic crops– Hawaii focuses on pineapples and sugarcane

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Technological and Management Inputs

Lack of adequate scientific information is a common problem

The Federal government owns and operates advanced information networks to monitor weather patterns, rainfall, soil conditions etc. – through advanced satellite mapping – through research institutions

Agriculture is predominantly a state subject in India. Knowledge assimilated at the Federal level is not fully percolating to the end farmer

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Change Focus of Fertilizer Companies

The second Green Revolution demands attention to soil

Soil analysis should be more comprehensive

Done not just of N, P and K

Sharper focus on micro-nutrients needed

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We have the Infrastructure

to do this!

Krishi Vigyan Kendras and Fertiliser companies already have a lapse

These needed to be tailored for a close analysis for micro-nutrients We have the infrastructure only links missing India is strong in satellite imaging. Extensive mapping has already been done Missing links: Interpreting these to the farmers Well-spread engineering and science colleges can be trained to do

this The system of using sprawling post office network can help A village post office can help dispatch a sample to the laboratory

and also to deliver a report in quick time

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What Needs to be Done

Precision farming – Soil analysis – Tilling techniques – Mechanization – Agglomeration of land

Three-pronged farm management strategy– Demonstration farms– Corporate involvement– Infrastructure

Government’s role as facilitator

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Precision farming

Soil analysis– Soil needs to be tested for micronutrients; lack of

nutrients, minerals to be compensated

Tilling techniques – Till deeper instead of wider; in California, land tracts

tilled up to 24 inches; in India tracts tilled up to 3 inches

– Inadequate reach of nutrients, water to roots

Increased farm mechanization– This requires consolidation of farms / land

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Three-Pronged Farm Management Strategy

Demonstration farms– Tilling– Fertilization and pest control– Irrigation– Total farm management

Corporate involvement– For management and scientific inputs

Produce handling and distribution infrastructure– Processing – Marketing

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Increased Farm mechanisation Tilling deeper itself can help a lot

Water and the fertiliser will effectively reach the roots

This will call for a measure of mechanisation

Simple implements like Sechell Shank inserts and disc ploughs can help

Of course, this will mean more demand for steel

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Looking at what this will mean to the Steel producers

Rural India has not been a great consumer of Steel

Focus on simple tools and implements can stimulate huge demand for Steel

Should generate gainful employment and help retained skilled talent in the rural areas

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City’s dominance will diminish – India will also thrive on farm based economy

Western Pundits predicts the rate of urbanization can be decelerated

Doubling of farm incomes will impact massively on the rural economy

Rural households can then spend on education, health, insurance and a whole lot of consumer goods

The gap between the modern India and the traditional Bharath will be bridged.

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Case studies: Pockets of farming success exist in India

Contract farming– Pepsi

– ITC

– Tata Chemicals

Increased yield using micronutrient analysis and total farm management – Gemini Farms

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Women empowerment

Women self help group at

Babrala village in the state of Uttar

Pradesh, India,

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IT in agriculture

Assisting with farm inputs and

weather patterns to

market information and

global prices, computers are

becoming powerful tools

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Reclaiming wasteland

Before and after pictures of land reclaimed for farming

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Conclusion

Imagine this scenario: – Farm output DOUBLES to 400 million tonnes– Impacts on the rural economy– Moderates unhealthy urbanization– India emerges a large foodgrain producer for the

world – Replicable globally– Better prospects for eliminating global hunger

A second, stronger Green Revolution is possible!

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Agriculture:

Advantage India

Presentation by S Viswanathan (SV)

Agriculture Consultancy Management Foundation (ACMF)