We take great pride in saying that India is an agrarian Country. Hold on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Isn’t it more appropriate to say that India was an agrarian country?

Contribution of agriculture to India’s GDP has reduced from 39% to 22% during the period 1979 to 2004.(President’s Speech – 2005).The contribution of Agriculture to our GDP is on a downtrend and presently it contributes just 17% to it. As of now we are required to import 6 million tonnes wheat every year which was nil in the year 2000-01. To sum up we are not able to meet our consumption requirement and are getting dependent on other countries for it. It also signifies that our production is not increasing in parity with the requirement of consumption.

We are boasting of being the second fastest growing economy in the world and that our GDP is growing at the rate of 8%. Our adrenaline starts rushing when we come across projections like “By 2020 India will be the third richest economy in the world……. But are we really ready for it? Are we doing anything to maintain this growth rate??????????????????????

If we really aspire to hit that target by 2020, agriculture is the core area that requires a sea change. Despite the fact that it is base of our country and 60% of our working labour force depends on it, it has taken a back seat. Globalization is the buzzword for India Inc. So why can’t we become globallised in food production. Indian government really needs to pay heed to agriculture and introduce appropriate schemes for our farmers. The time has come to take a call for Second Green Revolution.

“The technologies and the strategies unleashed by the first Green Revolution have run their course.This requires, as I have said before, a Second Green Revolution.” – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, January 2006.

It is not that India is not having any success story. If we compare our present economy with the way it was 15 years back, we are going incredible. But in order to keep pace with this growth rate, our government needs to give due consideration to agriculture.

The punch line is that if this status Quo continues, we will not be able to net a long run advantage on this front.

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