PHOTO: JAGDISH PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK / NEERAZ CHATURVEDI
DEVELOPING MARKET ▶▶▶
Indian agriculture on modernisation track since 2014
BY JAGDISH KUMAR I
ndia’s agricultural policies have seen a ma- jor boost since the Modi government came to power in 2014 and decided to focus on doubling farmers income by 2022. The
government has also set an ambitious food grains production target of 291.1 million tons for 2019-20, an increase of 2.6% compared to the previous year, citing a favourable monsoon in the current season. The government has chalked out plans to achieve the goal; from ag- riculture productivity, soil health cards, crop in- surance, irrigation, total mechanisation, tech- nology, animal husbandry and allied activities. But is it on the right track, many ask. The Con- sortium of Indian Farmers Associations (CIFA), India’s apex professional farmer’s organisation engaged in effective policy level interventions on behalf of farmers from all over India, has said recently that in order to double farmers income, the government needs to implement a consistent export/import policy and proac- tive market intervention to attain fair price for agricultural produce.
Usage of arable land India is one of the largest producers of food grains globally, and its output in 2017-18 went up by 17.62 million tons compared to 2013-14. Though India has over 157.35 million hectares of land to cultivate, yields from farming are low and the pressure on land use is enormous. Additionally, farmers usually get a poor price for their produce, often as a result of falling be- hind in repaying loans. To ease this, govern- ment must reform the land leasing system in the country with the cooperation of the state governments, so that private parties can invest in agriculture land legally.
Farm mechanisation Under this scheme, the government is increas- ing custom hiring centres (CHCs) in the coun- try, where farmers can rent any high end agri- culture equipment. The government also
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India is one of the largest producers of food grains globally. Though its agriculture is very small-scale, yield from farming is low and the pressure on land is enormous. This needs to change with the help of digital precision technology.
launched the multilingual mobile app ‘CHC- Farm Machinery’. It helps the farmers to rent farm machinery and implements through a CHC in their area. Currently 133,723 pieces of agricultural machinery available for rent are registered on this mobile app. 2,300 CHC’s have been established in 2019-20. During that period 32,808 pieces of machinery have been distributed, and a total of 8,662 CHCs have been established under the Crop Residue Management Programme.
Stubble burning problem In order to tackle the increase in stubble burn- ing in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi, the government has started supporting farmers with 50% subsidy on cost of farm equipment required for in-situ
management of crop residue, apart from set- ting up India’s first ethanol plant at Panipat, Haryana state, which will convert paddy straw into ethanol. The burning of stubble has caused health problems in these states. Due to this practice, the air quality index has touched dangerous levels, compelling state govern- ments to advise citizens to wear masks during October and November. This has become a re- petitive phenomenon for the past few years. Precision farming may also help to reduce stubble in the fields: Internet of Things, big data, drones and robotics have a big role to play in driving precise solutions for every field. For 2019-20 the government has set aside USD 85 million (€ 77 million) for farm mechani- sation, along with USD $ 1.7 billion (€ 1.5 bil- lion) to support over 90 million farmers under
New era in Indian farming
The government needs to focus on how farmers can get good prices, and also help them to tap global markets without middle- men, says farmer Shivprasad Madhukar Lak- he from Nanded at a farm event in Pune. On his 20 acres he grows turmeric, and he also leased 5 acres to sow chickpeas. Though pre- cision farming technologies can increase productivity, huge investments are required. The government should start farmer training & awareness programmes at village level and display drones and latest farming tools. This will help farmers to understand the technol- ogy and its usage better. “Currently there is no awareness, though some private players are selling agri drones and providing other services.” When asked about sustainable farm
▶ FUTURE FARMING | 22 May 2020
Farmer Shivprasad Madhukar Lakhe and family.
practice, Lakhe says he has been using drip ir- rigation to save water, and to increased tur- meric crop productivity. He wants to move towards vertical farming, so he can optimise and farm more efficiently.
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