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The spectacular story of Indian agriculture is known throughout the world for its multi-functional success in generating employment, livelihood, food, nutritional and ecological security. Agriculture and allied activities contribute about 30% to the gross domestic product of India.
With arable land area at 168 million hectares, India ranks second only to the U.S. in size of agriculture. A well-developed agricultural research system, a significant area of almost 60 million hectares under irrigation and an increasing productivity in major crops enable Indian agriculture to become a globally competitive player. The United Nations estimates that with assured irrigation, India's food grains output can increase SIX times within five years- enough to feed two planet Earths!
Achievements of Indian Agriculture:
1. India is the largest producer of wheat in the world
2. India is the largest producer of Rice in the world
3. India is among the largest vegetable oil economies in the world
4. India is the largest producer of Tea in the world
5. India is the second largest producer of Fruits in the world
6. India is the largest producer of Milk in the world
7. India is the largest producer of Coffee in the world
8. India is the largest producer of Cotton in the world
Indian Agriculture by its sheer size and quantum of the activity can dictate global markets directly and indirectly. Majority of rural population still depend on agriculture for their livelihood and over 600 million farmers involved agriculture related activities.
Indian agriculture is almost dependent on the monsoons as they determine how the harvest will be. Most of the agricultural responsibilities in India are carried out by the state rather than the central department. Apart from the state government, there are many institutions and agriculture companies in India which performs agriculture based economic activity for rural India. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is the apex body in agriculture and allied fields. The National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development bank is another institution which is employed in encouraging agriculture based economic activities in rural India.
Globalization and agriculture in India is changing the face of the country and the development in agriculture is taking place at a faster rate. With opening up of the economy, agriculture sector in India is becoming modernized and technology is being used to its maximum so that more and more people can be benefited from this sector. Private players are also now being interested in acquiring land and cultivating with modern equipment and amenities.
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