Essay, Paragraph, Speech on “India in Agricultural Sector” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

India in Agricultural Sector

The greatest concern expressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is about India’s agricultural growth which is perhaps the lowest as compared to other sectors. The Tenth Plan document reveals that India’s farm community is dominated by small peasants. The National Sample Survey (NSS) of a few decades ago reveals that small and marginal holdings constitute about three-fourth of all holdings and constitute about one third of total area which is successively decreasing.

The Human Development Report released sometime back draws attention to the threat posed by unfair trade to small peasants in the developing countries. It says “Participation in trade can lessen inequality as poor people absorb the adjustment costs of increased competition from imports, while people with assets and market power take the advantage of opportunities provided by exports.”

The Report further points out that, “The problem at the heart of the Doha Round negotiations can be summarized in three words : Rich country subsidies. Rich countries spend just over $ I billion a year as aid to developing countries, agriculture, and just under $ one billion a day supporting their own agricultural systems.”

Actually, agricultural, horticultural and capital-intensive farms in ‘several parts of India as in other developing countries. like Kenya and Zambia have weak links to the rest of the economy. Thus, food processing in India is still a nascent industry. Major export companies in developed countries, owning very large mechanized farms pose a major challenge, especially to small farmers in developing countries. In-Punjab, for instance, Mukesh Ambani has now carried out a survey and is said to be intending to buy vegetables direct from the farmers without middle men and export them, starting with the initial investment of 5000 crore.

Local markets are getting destroyed or damaged rapidly. In Mexico,- Haiti and Jamaica, heavily subsidized imports of cheap food are taking place, Subsidized EU sugar exports are inflicting heavy losses on sugar exports by lower world prices, while there in (EU) farmers and processors are paid four times the world market price for sugar.

In America, farm subsidies have been increased by about $ 7 billion since the Doha Round started. This shows how scant concern for the interests of poor, developing countries, the rich developed countries have. Now Hong Kong Declaration brings some hope for farmers of developing countries. Certain other rays of hope for agricultural resurgence are increased allocation to this sector in the budget. Special grants have been sanctioned to PAU to usher in the second Green Revolution. President Bush has taken much interest in India’s agricultural and horticultural products and provision for enhancing food processing technology.