AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

AND PRODUCTIVITY TRENDS

Products
As per the 2010 FAO world agriculture statistics, India is the world's
largest producer of many fresh fruits and vegetables, milk,
major spices, select fibrous crops such as jute, 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 the world's second or third largest producer of several dry
fruits, agriculture-based textile raw materials, roots and pulses,
farmed fish, eggs, coconut, sugarcane and numerous vegetables.
India ranked in the world's five largest producers of over 80% of
agricultural produce items, including many cash crops such
as coffee and cotton, in 2010.
India is one of the world's five largest producers of livestock
and poultry meat, with one of the fastest growth rates, as of 2011.
 The Statistics Office of the Food and Agriculture Organisation
reported that, per final numbers for 2009, India had grown to
become the world's largest producer of the following agricultural
products:
Fresh Fruit
Lemons and limes
Buffalo milk
Castor oil seeds
Sunflower seeds
Sorghum
Millet Spices
Okra
Jute
 Per final numbers for 2009, India is the world's second
largest producer of the following agricultural products:
Wheat
Rice
Fresh vegetables
Sugar cane
Groundnuts, with shell
Lentils
Garlic
Cauliflowers and broccoli
 Peas, green
Sesame seed
Cashew nuts, with shell
Silk-worm cocoons, reelable
Cow milk, whole, fresh
Tea
Potatoes
Onions
 Cotton lint
Cottonseed
Eggplants (aubergines)
Nutmeg, mace and cardamoms
Indigenous goat meat
Cabbages and other brassicas
Pumpkins, squash and gourds
In 2009, India was the world's third largest producer of
eggs, oranges, coconuts, tomatoes, peas and beans
1. Components of Agricultural
Production
Food grains and Non Food grains
In the Index number of Agricultural Production the
weights assigned are 50.7 and 49.3 respectively
In food grains, weight of wheat ( 18), Rice (
16.9)
In non Food grain Oilseeds is the most important
group ( 13.2) Sugar cane ( 9.9), Cotton ( 4.4)
 Trends ( 1950-51 to 2014-15)
Product 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th10th 11th 14 15
Rice 25 30.3 35.1 41.8 47.3 54.5 65.1 78.7 87.3 85.6 97.3 106.6 104.8
Whe 7.9 71.3 70.2 88.9
Jowar 7.5 5.0
Bajra 3.4 9.1
Maiz 2.7 23.7
Other cereals6.6 4.0
Pulses 10.1 17.2
Total food grains 63.2 252.7
Oil seed 5.5 26.7
Sugarcane 55.3 359.3
Cotton 3.9 35.5
Jute 3.9 10.9
 Food grain Production touched record level of 265 million tonnes in 2013-14(
highest ever recorded in our country) which fell to 252.7 M.T in 14-15
Production of wheat which averaged only 9.7 MT Per annum in second plan
rose to 25 MT in 4th plan and the momentum is consistently maintained with
wheat production averaging 84.4 MT in 11th Plan
Wheat touched the record level of 95.8 MT in 13-14 before falling to 88.9 in
14-15
Production of rice increased from 35.1 nin 3rd plan to 97.3 in 11th plan.
Rice production reached the record level of 106.6 MT in 13-14 which fell to
104.8 MT in 14-15
While Jawar and Bajra have maintained stagnant levels, because of
introduction of hybrid seeds in Maize, overall productivity has increased.
Pulses requirement in India is estimated at 17 MT where as actual production
has been less than this level during most of the planning period.
 India is the biggest importer of pulses in the world.
Like pulses, production of oilseeds has not been able to keep pace with the
demand there by forcing the country to import large quantity of edible oils.
Under cotton, almost 90% production is Bt cotton. Some experts are of the
opinion that it can create health hazards besides causing drastic depletion
of soil nutrients.
Yield per acre for all food grains has increased from 552 kgs per hectare
in 1950-51 to2070 kgs per hectare in 2014-2015 recording three and
half times increase in Productivity.
Though productivity has gradually increased, as compared to other
countries and as per the potential, productivity level is quite low worrying
planners to initiate policy action on this front.
Productivity of Land
Product Country Productivity in kgs per hectare
Rice/Paddy Egypt 9530
Japan 6739
USA 8349
China 6775
India 3721

Wheat France 7599

UK 6657
Egypt 6582
China 4987
India 3177
 This is not to say that Indian agricultural productivity in wheat and
rice has not improved over the years.
Yield rates in wheat have grown at a compounded annual growth
rate of 1.8% from 1983 to 2013 and in rice by 1.71% over the
same period.
These arent particularly slow growth rates.
The improvement in yield rates for rice would place it at number 13
in the world while that in wheat would peg it at 14th rank.
Apples, Indian yield is 7 tons/ha while the world average
is 14 tons/ha.
Maize: Indian yield 2 tons/ha world avg 5 tons/ha.
Leading States in Agricultural
Production
Punjab
Uttar Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Haryana
Bihar
Andhra Pradesh
Maharashtra
West Bengal
Gujarat
The seven eastern states account for 56 percent of Indias cropland that is
used for rice production, but they produce only 48 percent of the nations
crop.
In contrast, the Punjab accounts for 6 percent of land under rice cultivation
and it produces 11 percent of the nations rice crop
Exports
During April-August 2016, exports of agricultural and
processed food products totalled US$ 6.4 billion.
During the period, export of cereals and animal products
accounted for 41.16 per cent of the total exports, followed
by livestock products (25.98 per cent), other processed
foods (16.94 per cent), fresh fruits and vegetables (8.32
per cent), processed fruits and vegetables (6.52 per cent)
and floriculture and seeds (1.09 per cent)
Indian agricultural/horticultural and processed foods are
exported to more than 100 countries/regions; chief among
them are the Middle East, Southeast Asia, SAARC countries,
the EU and the US.
Measuring Productivity
Agricultural productivity is measured as the ratio of agricultural outputs
to agricultural inputs.
While individual products are usually measured by weight, their varying densities
make measuring overall agricultural output difficult. Therefore, output is usually
measured as the market value of final output,
This output value may be compared to many different types of inputs such as labour
and land (yield). These are called partial measures of productivity.
Agricultural productivity may also be measured by what is termed total factor
productivity (TFP).
This method of calculating agricultural productivity compares an index of
agricultural inputs to an index of outputs.
This measure of agricultural productivity was established to remedy the
shortcomings of the partial measures of productivity; notably that it is often hard to
identify the factors cause them to change.
Changes in TFP are usually attributed to technological improvements.
Some sources of agricultural
productivity
Mechanization
High yield varieties, which were the basis of the Green revolution
Fertilizers:
Primary plant nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
secondary nutrients such as sulfur, zinc, copper, manganese, calcium,
magnesium and molybdenum on deficient soil
Irrigation
Herbicides
Genetic engineering
Pesticides
Increased plant density
Animal feed made more digestible by processing
Keeping animals indoors in cold weather
Why Productivity has been a big issue?

prospects for growth and competitiveness

more efficient distribution of scarce resources.
Migration of Unproductive people
comparative advantage in agricultural products
increases, which means that it can produce these
products at a lower opportunity cost than can other
regions.
Attracting consumers in a global platform
 Increase in wage
Decrease in Prices
Stability in Food supply
Food security
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH 19471980

From independence in 1947 until 1956, little progress

was made in agricultural development as the new
governments attention focused on Partition and
rehabilitation.
This changed dramatically from 1957 to 1968, when
the expansion of the countrys research capacity and
initiation of price support programs for farmers set the
stage for the Green Revolution
Severe droughts and famine in the 1960s
The Green Revolution And Dissemination Of New
Technologies
Productivity :Rice & wheat
Indias yield rates for rice and wheat tonnes
produced per hectareis drastically lower than even
Brics counterparts.
If Indias yield rates for the two crops were at Chinas
levels, we could almost double our yields or halve the
land used for the purpose.
Currently, India produces 106.19 million tonnes of rice
a year from 44 million hectares of land. Thats a yield
rate of 2.4 tonnes per hectare, placing India at 27th
place out of 47 countries. China and Brazil have yield
rates of 4.7 t/ha and 3.6 t/ha, respectively.
Egypt
Causes of Low Productivity in Indian
Agriculture
Overcrowding in agriculture:
Sub division and fragmentation of holdings:
Tenancy Laws
Nature of soil / Poor soil quality:
Natural factors:
Subsistence farming:
Discouraging Rural Atmosphere:
Lack of awareness/ Illiteracy:
Lack of Infrastructure:
Government Policies
Causes of Low Productivity in Indian
Agriculture
Outdated agricultural techniques:
Lack of irrigation facilities:
Use of manures:
Lack of adequate finance:
Poor water management:
Absence of productive investment:
Price of forecasting:
Neglect of agricultural research:
Measures to Improve Productivity
The F.A.O. has suggested following measures to increase the productivity of Indian agriculture:
1. The farmers should be provided with a stable price for their agricultural products at a
remunerative level.
2. There should be an expansion of adequate marketing facilities to sell the agricultural
product.
3. The land tenure system should be changed in favour of the cultivator.
4. There should be a provision of cheap credit on reasonable terms especially to small
farmers for better techniques of production.
5. The modern inputs like fertilisers. Pesticides and improved seeds should be made available
to the farmers at reasonable prices.
6. There should be provisions of education, research and extension of agro-economic services
to spread the knowledge of improved methods of farming.
7. The State should make provision for the development of resources which are not possible in
the part of individual farmers e.g. large scale irrigation, land reclamation or resettlement
projects.
8. There should be an extension of land used and intensification and utilisation of land
already in use through improved and scientific implements.
Agrarian Crisis
Between 1995 and 2014 2,96,438 farmers have committed suicide in India.
The income of an average farm household is just over Rs.6,400 a
month, National Sample Survey Office data show, and this is
grossly inadequate to meet consumption demands, not to mention
rising input costs.
Only households with over one hectare make more than they spend,
and they constitute less than 35 per cent of all farm households.
This leaves over half of all farm households in debt.
These are no small debts; the average amount outstanding for a
farm household today is Rs.47,000

The crisis is characterised by

Low institutionalised credit to small farmers,
Predatory lending,
Lowering farm productivity
Deepening indebtedness
 In 1957, the Rockefeller Foundation initiated a program with the
Government of India to develop national research programs to
improve cereal crops, working with the Indian Council on Agricultural
Research (ICAR) and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).
To increase research, education and extension capacity across the
country, India established a system of agricultural universities based
on the U.S. land-grant model.
The first nine universities were completed by 1968, the start of the
Green Revolution. Indias National Academy of Agricultural Sciences
concluded that the Green Revolution, with its impressive social and
economic impact, would have not been possible without the
significant contributions made by the agricultural universities, both in
the form of trained scientific manpower and the generation of new
technologies.
Farmer Incentives
Green Revolution
Early in the Green Revolution (196975), high- yielding, semi-dwarf
varieties of wheat and rice were introduced to farmers, along with
increased use of fertilizers, agricultural chemicals, machinery and irrigation.
Subsidies were provided for seed, water and fertilizers.
There were tremendous productivity gains and, by 1980, the country
produced enough rice and wheat to meet basic needs.
The economic benefits to farmers, however, were strongly skewed toward a
few northern states where the Green Revolution was started.
To create greater equity in access to resources, from 1975 through the
1980s, the Indian government disseminated crop production inputs and
technologies to farmers in more states.
An unintended consequence was less discriminating use of inputs, including
water, pesticides and fertilizers, leading to land degradation and reduced
groundwater in some areas of the country.
Post Green Revolution
several prominent trends in productivity growth of different crops,
as well as shifting agricultural production patterns in different
regions of the country.
The share of area planted with primary food grains, such as rice
and wheat, has declined since the 1980s and there has been a
slowdown in cereal grain productivity.
Over the past 30 years, the national trend has been toward higher
valued crops grains, pulses, oilseeds and specialty crops have
given way to vegetables, fruits and livestock products such as eggs,
milk, poultry and meat.
The reallocation of land to higher valued crops is driven by
increased yield potential and growing demand for those products.
Livestock product growth was greater than aggregate crop
production in all regions studied except for two states, Assam and
West Bengal.
 In the 1990s, spending on irrigation, water management
and scientific research was cut and extension services
declined.
There were limited advances in traditional food crops and
agricultural productivity growth stalled
The North still has the highest mean revenue share, but
production growth has now shifted from the North to rainfed
areas in the South and West.
From 1980 to 2008, agricultural output growth in the South
and West was driven by diversification from grains and
pulses to high-value crops, particularly vegetables, spices
and livestock, resulting in the highest TFP gains
Road Ahead
As pressure on water and land resources intensifies due to
population growth, urbanization, and industrialization, Indias
agriculture sector will need to continue to close yield gaps and
reduce production costs through Total Factor Productivity (TFP)
growth.
Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presenting the governments
201415 budget in July 2014 said, the government is committed to
sustaining 4 percent growth in agricultural GDP and for this we will
bring a technology driven second green revolution with focus on higher
productivity, including a Protein Revolution and expanded Blue
Revolution of inland fisheries.
Investment in Agricultural Research
Investment in Extension and technology transfer
Developing and using the best seeds for different types of soil and
climatic conditions is a priority for increasing productivity
 Diversity in agricultural production is one key to
productivity, as it enables risk management and
preserves potentials for adaptation
increase efficiency levels as well as achieve a more
even spread of new technology Since net area
under cultivation has almost exhausted, productivity
levels have to increase by leaps and
salient features of agriculture in India.
Subsistence Agriculture:

Pressure of Population on Agriculture:

Mechanisation of Farming:

Dependency upon Monsoon:

Importance of Animals:

Variety of Crops:

Predominance of Food Crops:

Seasonal Patterns:
Problems of Indian Agriculture
Stagnation in Production of Major Crops:
Soil Exhaustion:
Decrease in Fresh Ground Water:
Costly Farm Inputs:
Agricultural Marketing:
Lack of Storage Facilities:
Affect of Global Climate Change:
Farmer Suicides:
 Largest agricultural products in India by value RankCommodityValue (US$,
2013)Unit price
(US$ / kilogram, 2009)Average yield
(tonnes per hectare, 2010)Most productive country
(tonnes per hectare, 2010)1Rice$42.57 billion0.273.9912.03Australia2Buffalo
milk$27.92 billion0.40.63[63]3Cow milk$18.91
billion0.311.2[63]10.3[63]Israel4Wheat$13.98
billion0.152.88.9Netherlands5Mangoes, guavas$10.79 billion0.66.340.6Cape
Verde6Sugar cane$10.42 billion0.0366125Peru7Cotton$8.65
billion1.431.64.6Israel8Bananas$7.77
billion0.2837.859.3Indonesia9Potatoes$7.11 billion0.1519.944.3United
States10Tomatoes$6.74 billion0.3719.3524.9Belgium11Fresh vegetables$6.27
billion0.1913.476.8United States12Buffalo meat$4.33
billion2.690.138[63]0.424[63]Thailand13Groundnuts$4.11 billion14Okra$4.06
billion0.357.623.9Israel15Onions$4.05 billion0.2116.667.3Ireland16Chick
peas$3.43 billion0.40.92.8China17Chicken meat$3.32
billion0.6410.620.2Cyprus18Fresh fruits$3.25 billion0.421.15.5Nicaragua19Hen
eggs$3.18 billion2.70.1[63]0.42[63]Japan20Soybeans$3.09 billion0.261.13.7Turkey
Connect with me @
manoranjan_bhuyan2001@yahoo.com