Measures to Increase Agricultural Productivity in India!

Ways # 1. Transport Facilities:

To facilitate the farmers to produce new farm inputs and enable them to sell their
product in markets, villages should be linked with mandies.
It would help to raise their income which in turn stimulates the farmer’s interest to
adopt better farm technology with sufficient income.
Thus the cultivator can invest more for the improvement of land.

Ways # 2. Irrigation Facilities:

Crop productivity depends not only on the quality of input but also on the irrigation
facilities. Therefore, canals, tube wells should be constructed to provide better
irrigation facilities for the security of crops. Extensive flood control measures should
be adopted to prevent the devastation caused by floods.

Ways # 3. Institutional Credit:

To save the farmers from the clutches of moneylenders, adequate credit facilities
should be made available at reasonable cheap rates in rural areas. The land
mortgage banks and co-operative credit societies should be strengthened to provide
loans to the cultivators. Moreover, integrated scheme of rural credit must be
implemented.
Ways # 4. Proper Marketing Facilities:
Marketing infrastructure should be widened and strengthened to help the farmers to
sell their products at better prices. There should be proper arrangements for
unloading of the produce in the markets. Besides, price support policy must be
adopted and minimum prices should be guaranteed to the peasants.

Ways # 5. Supply of Quality Inputs:

The farmer in the country should be supplied with quality inputs at proper times
and at controlled prices. To protect the farmers exploitation, effective steps are
needed to be taken to check the sale of adulterated fertilizers.

Ways # 6. Consolidation of Holdings:

In various states consolidation of holdings is not satisfactory. Therefore, efforts
should be made towards completing the consolidation work in the specific period of
time. Big areas of land which are lying waste, can be reclaimed and made fit for
cultivation.

Ways # 7. Agricultural Education:

In a bid to guide and advise the farmers regarding the adoption of new technology
arrangements should be made for agricultural education and extension services. It
would assist the farmers to take proper crop-care leading to increase in crop
productivity.

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Ways # 8. Reduction of Population on Land:
As we know, that in our country, majority of population depends on agriculture to
earn their both ends meet. This increases the pressure of population on land which
leads to subdivision and fragmentation of land holdings.
Therefore, proper climate should be generated to encourage the farm people to start
employment in subsidiary occupations. It will help to reduce the population
pressure on land. Surplus labour should be withdrawn from agriculture sector and
be absorbed in non-agricultural sector.

Ways # 9. Provision of Better Manure Seeds:

The farmers should be made familiar with the advantage of chemical fertilizer
through exhibitions and these inputs should be made easily available through co-
operative societies and panchayats. Liberal supplies of insecticides and pesticides
should be distributed at the cheap rates all over the country side.

Ways # 10. Land Reforms:

It is also suggested that efforts should be made to plug the loopholes in the existing
land legislations so that the surplus land may be distributed among the small and
marginal farmers. The administrative set-up should be streamlined and corrupt
elements should also be punished. It will help to implement the law properly.

Ways # 11. Co-operative Farming:

To check the sub-division and fragmentation of holding, the movement of co-
operative farming should be launched. Co-operative farming would result in the
adoption of modern technology on so-called big farms. In this way, agriculture will
become profitable occupation through economies of large-scale farming.

Ways # 12. Development of Cottage and Small Scale Industries:

In rural areas, more emphasis should be made to set up cottage and small scale
industries. This will raise the income of the peasants and keep them busy during the
off season.

Low Productivity of Agriculture in India (14 Causes)

Cause # 1. Small Size of Holdings:

The agricultural productivity is low due to small size of holdings. Indeed small size
of the farm fails to provide profitable employment to the farmers.In our country
average size of holdings is 1.8 hectares while in developed countries like U.S.A. it is
122 hectares.Apart from this, subdivision and fragmentation of holdings is another
obstacle in the way of low agricultural productivity. In these small sizes of holdings
the scientific cultivation with latest techniques is almost impossible.

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Cause # 2. Vicious Circle of Poverty:
To a greater extent, the vicious circle of poverty is also responsible for the poor
performance of agriculture.
The vicious circle of poverty takes the following form of agricultural
sector:

The crucial deficiencies in Indian agriculture relate to land, capital and

management, etc. which in turn hampers the agricultural productivity.
Cause # 3. Indebtedness:
Another reason for low agricultural productivity is the indebtedness of the farmers.
To perform the social ceremonies a farmer has to borrow from money-lender at a
very high rate of interest. Unproductive borrowings does not add to his income and
he always remains under debt. Consequently, the farmer fails to avail incentives to
improve the agricultural production.
Cause # 4. Inadequate Irrigation Facilities:
Indian farmer is almost dependent on climatic conditions for irrigation. Monsoons
are irregular. Only a few farmer avail the facilities of irrigation from various sources
such as canals, tube wells, etc. Moreover these facilities are found in some areas and
where these are available, they are not fully utilized. The result is that the produce is
of bad quality and results in low productivity.
Cause # 5. Lack of Adequate Finance:
Availability of finance is the basis of every industry. The supply of finance is
inadequate in case of Indian agriculture. Money is required for short period as well
as for long period in order to improve the agricultural production.
According to All India Rural Credit Survey Committee in 1950-51 more than 90 per
cent of the total agricultural credit was advanced by the moneylenders. The co-
operative societies, accounted for about 3 per cent respectively.
Cause # 6. Lack of Marketing Facilities:
The defective marketing system also poses difficulties to the farmers. The farmers do
not get a due reward from the sale of his produce. The middleman takes away
portion of their profits. Unless farmers are guaranteed fair and remunerative prices
there is little inducement for agricultural output to increase.
Indian marketing has no facilities of god-owns and warehousing where the
cultivators may keep their produce for a better price. Moreover, they lack
transportation facilities. This results in low price of the produce.
Cause # 7. No Scientific Methods of Cultivation:
The ignorance and conservation of Indian farmer also results in the poor
performance of agriculture. They do not know the importance of modern
technology. Still, seeds are sown by wooden ploughs. Poor quality of seeds yields
poor quantity of crops.
According to Dr. Burns, “The average out turn of paddy could be increased by 38 per
cent viz., 5 per cent by using improved seeds, 28 per cent by manuring and
remaining 5 per cent by protection from pests.”
Cause # 8. Lack of Productive Investment:
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Investment in jewellery, trade and money lending seems to be more attractive. Therefore,
there is less investment in land improvement. In the absence of productive investment in
agriculture, there is little scope for expanding production.
Cause # 9. Agricultural Research:
A large quantity of amount of money is spent on agricultural research, still the fruits
do not reach to the poor cultivators. There is a lack of co-ordination between
laboratory and farm.
Cause # 10. Excessive Dependence:
The real problem of low productivity is that too many people are dependent on
agriculture sector. The experience of agriculture exhibits that agricultural
productivity is in inverse proportion to the number of people engaged in it. In fact,
excessive dependence leads to small size, uneconomic and fragmented holdings.
This inevitably results in low productivity.
Cause # 11. Poor Livestock:
The quality of livestock is very inferior and they are thin and feeble. On account of
their poor quality, they are needed in more quantity which adds unnecessary burden
on the poor cultivators. Malnutrition is another cause for the degeneration of cattle
in our country. As a result, they suffer from one disease or the other.
Cause # 12. Natural Calamities:
Another reason of low productivity of Indian agriculture is that crops worth crores
of rupees are destroyed every year due to floods and other natural calamities. The
soil erosion has been regarded as creeping death of the farm.

Cause # 13. Social Factors:

In our country, poor performance of agriculture is also found due to the operation of
various socio economic factors. Illiteracy, ignorance, superstition and conservative
outlook stands in the way of the adoption of modern technology. As such, farmers
are against the use of bone manure and chemical fertilizer. Besides, they are
prejudiced against killing of monkeys and rats at the farm.
Cause # 14. Land Policy and Legislation:
The piece-meal character of land reform policy and its legislation is greatly,
responsible for the backwardness of agriculture. Excessive reliance on the
administrative machinery have adversely affected agricultural development,
unnecessary delay in implementation and uncertainty about the rights on land has
tended to diminish land productivity.