India's Food & Nutritional Security Challenges

International Confrence of Agricultural Challenges

"Transformation Towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems"

The event attracted around 1,000 delegates from 75 countries, including experts, policymakers, and researchers, fostering international collaboration and knowledge exchange in the field of agricultural economics. 33:40

Problems of Agriculture Sector in India

variability in weather
fragmented land holdings
inadequate marketing infrastructure

Agriculture Sector in India

provides livlihood to 42.3 % of the population makes 18.2% of India's GDP (at current price) annual growth rate 4.18% at constant price (last 5 years)

Initiatives by Government

assured remunerative prices through MSP
improving access to institutional credit
enabling crop diversification
promoting digitisation, and mechanisation
encouraging adoption of sustainable practices through organic and natural farming.
focusing on productivity enhancement
Fixing MSPs as one and half times (1.5x) all-India weighted average cost of production, 2018-19
Income support through Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, giving the farmer a direct financial benefit of ₹6000/- per year.
Per Drop More Crop (PDMC), a micro irrigation scheme.
National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), promoting the use of alternative and organic fertilisers.
digital initiatives such as the Digital Agriculture Mission and e-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)
Animal Husbandary Schemes:
1. Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM)
2. National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM)
3. National Program for Dairy Development (NPDD)
Fishiries Schemes:
1. Fisheries Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) ₹7.52 Thousand Crore

TOP MSPs

lentils(masur) 89% cop
tur 58% cop
millets 82% cop
52% increase on MSP of sunflower and soyabean

Fasal Bima Yojna

Digi-Claim-Payment Module A new module has been launched to integrate the National Crop Insurance Programme (NCIP) with public financial management system (PFMS) end-to-end. Now, the government will have visibility of the quantum of eligible claims, claims paid by the Insurance Company and actual claims transferred to beneficiary farmers. Yield Estimation Based on Technology (YES-Tech) is a technology-based yield estimation mechanism developed after two years of rigorous testing and a pilot that runs across 100 country districts. Nine states, namely, Assam, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu & Karnataka & Odisha, are implementing Yes-Tech from the Kharif 2023 season onwards. Weather Information Network & Data System (WINDS) is a pioneering initiative to set up a network of Automatic Weather Stations & Rain Gauges at Taluk/ Block and Gram Panchayat (GP) levels for use of all farmer and farming-oriented services. It is proposed that an automatic rain gauge (ARG) would be installed at every GP and an automatic weather station (AWS) at every block covered under PMFBY. Collection of Real-time Observations and Photographs of Crops (CROPIC) is an initiative that has been taken up to collect periodic photographs of crops during their life cycle. These photographs will validate sown and insured crops, assess crop damage when any localised and widespread calamity or climatic condition affects the crops, and act as an input for Technology-based yield estimation models

Doubling Farmers Income Report (DFI) 2016

expert committee chaired by Ashok Dalwai

Key aspects of the report include:

Productivity Growth: The report emphasizes increasing farm productivity through technological interventions, better seed varieties, efficient use of water, and adoption of climate-resilient farming methods.

Cost Reduction: It advocates for reducing the cost of cultivation by promoting efficient use of inputs like fertilizers, pesticides, and water, as well as encouraging the use of organic farming and precision agriculture techniques.

Value Addition and Diversification: The report stresses the need for crop diversification and the promotion of allied activities like animal husbandry, horticulture, and fisheries to enhance income opportunities beyond traditional crops.

Market Reforms: One of the core strategies is to improve farmers' access to markets, ensuring better price realization through reforms like e-NAM (National Agriculture Market), reducing intermediaries, and enhancing storage and transportation infrastructure.

Risk Management: It highlights the importance of robust insurance schemes and financial safety nets to protect farmers from risks like crop failure, price volatility, and natural disasters.

Institutional Reforms: The report calls for strengthening farmer organizations, cooperatives, and better governance in agricultural extension services to ensure that farmers have access to updated knowledge and technologies.

Last modified: 07 September 2024