Contribution of Agriculture in national income in India

Agriculture is the mainstay of the Indian economic system despite the emphasis on industrialization in the last six decades. It's important to the Indian economy can be gauged from the following facts.

Contribution of Agriculture in national income

Contribution to GDP: According to the new series of national income released by CSO, at 2011-2012 prices, the share of agriculture in total GDP is 17.4% in 2014-2015. The share of the agriculture and allied sector was 16.1% of the GVA during 2014-2015 at 2012 -12 prices.

Contribution to Employment: Agriculture gives a livelihood to greater than 1/2 of the population. In 2011 its contribution 58% to the total employment in the country.

Contribution to Trade: Although the share of agricultural products in total trade of India is declining due to export diversification. Yet in 2009-10 it contributes 11% to the total exports and 13% of the total imports of the country. In addition to the above agriculture sector plays a crucial role in inclusive growth by directly attacking poverty and containing inflation. It is also an important source of raw material for a vast segment of the industry.

Contribution of Agriculture in National Income: The agricultural sector contributes a significantly large share of the national income of India, although it has come down from a high as 56% during the 1950s to 13.9% in 2011-2012 and it's projected to go further in immediate future.

Agriculture and Five-year Plans: The highest outlay on agriculture was during the First Plan it was 31%. The intensive Agricultural District program (IADP) followed by a high yielding variety program (HYVP) was introduced during the Third plan. First and Fifth plan were the only plans, which achieved the set targets. The tenth plan did not set any targets for crop production. The growth rate of agriculture during the Ninth and Tenth plan was 2.4% and 2,3% respectively.

Agriculture in the Eleventh Five Year Plan: Eleventh plan, recognizing the importance of agriculture in promoting inclusive growth fixed the agriculture growth rate of 4% actual outlay in the Eleventh plan is estimated to be 18.5% of the total plan. Contract farming was encouraged in fruits vegetables and other crops. The average annual growth rate of GDP in agriculture and allied sectors during 11th plan was 3.7 percent.

Agriculture in Twelfth Five Year Plan: The approach paper aims at a growth rate of 4% per annum in the agriculture sector with foodgrains growing at about 2% per year and noon food grains growing 5.6%. The approach paper has emphasized technology as the main vehicle for improving productivity in agriculture as natural resources are fixed. Severely indicating the public sector research in agriculture the Twelfth plan encourages. Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in agriculture so as to bridge the gap in dryland areas and rapidly diversify agriculture. It emphasizes greater road connectivity development of horticulture, dairying, and another animal husbandry to further improve the market access to the farmers.

Average Achievement in Agriculture in the Five-year Plan.

Five year Plan        

• First Five year Plan (1951-52 to 1955-56) Growth Rate 2.71.    
• Second Five year Plan (1956-57 to 1960-61) Growth Rate 3.17.
• Third Five year Plan (1961-62 to 1965-66) Growth Rate 0.73.
• Annual Plan (1966-67 to 1965-66) Growth Rate 4.16.
• Fourth Five year Plan (1969-70 to 1973-74) Growth Rate 2.57.
• Fifth Five year Plan (1974-75 to 1979-79) Growth Rate 3.28.
• Sixth Five-year Plan (1980-81 to 1984-85) Growth Rate 2.52.
• Seventh Five-year Plan (1985-86 to 1989-90) Growth Rate 3.47.
• Annual Plan (1992-93 to 1996-97) Growth Rate 1.01.
• Eight Five year Plan (1992-93 to 1996-97) Growth Rate 4.68.
• Ninth Five year Plan (1997-98 to 2001-02) Growth Rate 2.02.
• Tenth Five year Plan (2002-03 to 2006-07) Growth Rate 2.3.
• Eleventh Five year Plan (2007-08 to 2011-12) Growth Rate 3.6.

Green Revolution: It was a  part of the new agriculture strategy which included, initially, the intensive Agriculture District program (IADP) and later the high yielding varieties program (HYVP). It was launched in the year 1966 and was the brainchild of Norman Borlung, though, in India, it was made successful by Dr. MS Swaminathan. The term green revolution was coined by Dr. William Gaud. The achievement of the Green Revolution was the rise in cereal problem especially wheat and rice, change in cropping pattern in favor of wheat and increase in employment opportunities. The weaknesses of the Green revolution were the growth of capitalistic farming, sidetracked land reforms, widened income and regional disparities and environmental degradation. The Green Revolution demanded high yielding seed, increasing irrigation pesticides in fertilizer.

Second Green Revolution: The called the second Green Revolution was given by the Prime Minister Manmohan singh at the 93rd science conference in 2006. The second Green Revolution seeks to cover dryland farming and concentrate on the small marginal farmers. It seeks to raise the food grain production to 400 million tonnes by 2020.

Evergreen Revolution: The concept was given by renowned agricultural scientist Dr. MS Swaminathan. The concept emphasizes on organic agriculture and green agriculture with the help of integrated pest management integrated nutrient supply and integrated natural resource management. The core evergreen revolution is 'sustainability'.

White Revolution: White Revolution is related to phenomenal growth in milk production. To increase the pace of the White Revolution, the operation food was started. The father of operation food was Dr. Verghese Kurien. Operation food was started by National Dairy Development Board in 1070. India rank first in the world in milk production, which went up from 17 MT in 1950-51 to 146.3 MT in 2014-2015, The per capita availability of milk in India has increased from 176 grams per day in 1990-91 to 322 grams per day by 2014-2015. It is move than the world average of 294 grams per day during 2013.

Fisheries sector: India is the third-largest producer of fish and the second-largest producer of inland fish in the world. Fisheries constitute about 1% of the GDP of the country and 5.08% of agricultural GDP. The world fish production during 2014-2015 was 10.46 MT.

Tricolour Revolution: The reference to a Tricolor Revolution was made by prime minister Narendra  Modi. This phrase has three components.

These are the following: Saffron Energy Revolution for promotion and better utilization of solar energy. White Revolution to ensure cattle welfare and further the goals of the White Revolution.

Blue Revolution for fishermen's welfare, cleansing rivers and sea and conserving water.

Food Security in India: The need for food self-sufficiency was born out on account of the experience from the PL-480 program of the USA in the year in 1960. Food Security implies access by all people at all times to sufficient quantities of food to lead on an active and healthy life. Essentially, it involves. Quantities dimension to a term of food self-sufficiency, the qualitative dimension in the form of nutritional requirement, and purchasing power dimension so as to ensure access to all though employment generation programs.