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Hindustan Times
04-08-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Why agriculture is key to building Viksit Bharat
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, continuous reforms and farmer-centric initiatives have led to steady growth in the agriculture sector, and the country has achieved record production of paddy, wheat, maize, groundnut, and soybean. As per the third Advance Estimates for the production of major crops for the agricultural year 2024-25, total food grain production is estimated at 353.96 million tonnes (mt), India's highest production so far; it is also 40% more than it was in 2014-15. Indian agriculture has gone from stagnation and food insecurity before the 1960s to large surpluses today, disproving the Malthusian belief that population growth would outstrip food production. In 1967, William and Paul Paddock predicted a famine in India, claiming it couldn't feed its growing population and controversially argued against food aid, fearing it would worsen future starvation. The Green Revolution, driven by high-yielding rice and wheat varieties, agrochemicals, and irrigation, proved the Paddocks wrong by boosting India's foodgrain production from 74 mt in 1966-67 to 130 mt by 1979-80. Annual gains peaked at 8.1 mt (2014–2025). Horticulture also surged from 40 mt in the 1960s to 334 mt in 2024-25, with recent annual increases of 7.5 mt. Crop production has also become more stable due to advances made in developing stress-tolerant varieties and the adoption of resilient farming practices. India's dairy, poultry, and fisheries sectors have seen remarkable growth. The White Revolution, starting in the 1970s, boosted milk production from 20 mt to 239 mt by 2023-24, rivalling Europe. The Blue Revolution in the 1980s raised fish output from 2.4 mt to 19.5 mt by 2024-25, making India the second-largest seafood producer and exporter. Poultry evolved from being a backyard activity to an industry, with egg production rising from 10 billion to 143 billion, and poultry meat from 113,000 tonnes to five million tonnes over the same period. Between 2014-15 and 2023-24, animal-source food production saw unprecedented growth: Milk rose by 10.2 mt annually, eggs by 6.8 billion units, broiler meat by 217,000 tonnes, and fish (mainly aquaculture) by 780,000 tonnes. Technological advances in breeding, resource management, and skilled manpower have driven this surge. High-value foods like fruits, vegetables, and animal products now outpace foodgrain growth, underscoring technology's key role in agricultural diversification, improved nutrition, farmer income, and resilience to climate shocks. India's food production success highlights the transformative role of technology and policy in boosting nutrition, farmer incomes, climate resilience, and exports. Research by the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) underscores high returns on investment in agriculture — ₹13.85 and ₹7.40 for every rupee spent on research and extension. Recent government initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (irrigation), PM-KISAN (direct farmer support), the National Livestock Mission, and Blue Revolution have further strengthened agricultural growth by enhancing resource use, reducing risks, and promoting technology adoption across the agri-food system. By 2047, India aims to become a developed nation. Its economy must grow at 7.8% annually, with a projected population of 1.6 billion — half in urban areas. This shift will double overall food demand, with demand for fruits, vegetables, and animal-based foods expected to triple, while cereal demand remains stable, leading to surpluses. However, rising urbanisation and industrialisation will shrink agricultural land from 180 million hectares (mha) to 176 mha, and average landholdings from one hectare (ha) to 0.6 ha. This will increase pressure on water and agrochemicals, risking resource degradation. The climate crisis poses an even greater threat, endangering sustainable agriculture and rural livelihoods. India's evolving agri-food challenges call for a realignment of production strategies. Even as the country exports 20 mt of water-intensive rice annually, groundwater sustainability is at risk. Meanwhile, it relies heavily on imports of edible oils and pulses. To ensure food security, protect farmer interests, and conserve resources, crop planning must prioritise water-efficient crops such as oilseeds and pulses, alongside sustainable farming practices. India can expand pulses and oilseeds cultivation on 12 mha of rice-fallow land left unused due to various constraints. However, low yields — 18-40% gaps in oilseeds and 31-37% in pulses — highlight the need for technological advancements. The Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA) reached 1.35 crore farmers across 728 districts, promoting improved practices through direct farmer-scientist interaction. To boost production and reduce imports, the government has also launched mission-mode schemes focused on high-yielding seeds for oilseeds, pulses, and cotton. Agricultural research holds immense potential to boost productivity, resilience, and resource efficiency while lowering costs and managing risks. With growing demand for timely information, modern tools such as AI and data analytics are transforming global agri-research. India currently invests ₹11,600 crore annually (0.5% of the agri-GDP) in R&D, with plans to increase funding and adopt a demand-driven approach. Strengthening Krishi Vigyan Kendras, state extension systems, and Union-state coordination will link research more closely with farmers. Under the One Nation, One Agriculture, One Team vision, ICAR nodal officers are guiding state-level action plans to support Viksit Bharat. Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the Union minister for agriculture & farmers welfare, and rural development. The views expressed are personal.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The grumpy but famous city gardener who grew a wall to keep people out
NEVER mind Alan Titchmarsh or Monty Don or even, for those with very long memories, Percy Thrower who often seemed to dig in a tank top and tie. When it comes to characters of the gardening world few could hold a candle, or even a shovel, to Worcester's John Williams. And, despite the fact we already seem to have had summer in a topsy-turvy 2025, Easter is here and with it the traditional start of the gardening year. So let's revisit the legend of the man from St John's who was described, appropriately and even by his friends, as 'a bonfire of hostilities'. In other words he could be cantankerous and didn't like most of his fellow human beings. As a proud full-bloodied Tory of the 18th-century school, Williams was violently opposed to any shift in the social order and was convinced the Reform Bill of 1832, which allowed many more people to vote, would lead to a reign of terror similar to that in Paris in 1793 when thousands died. To prepare for the onslaught he set workmen to build a high grey stone wall frontage to the striking property he had built in Malvern Road, St John's, in the early 1800s called Pitmaston House. The aim was to keep the newly-enfranchised hoi polloi at bay and, while this imposing barrier might appear a touch extreme today, Williams was not alone in his concerns. All over Worcester there were others who feared a French Revolution-style uprising and had heavy shutters and similar defences fitted to their homes, behind which they lay in a state of anxious preparation for the radical mobs that never came. However, Williams' wall did have one bright side. The impressive edifice proved a lively topic of conversation between coachmen on the Worcester to Malvern run and their box-seat passengers: 'Over there you will see a wall built by a man who doesn't think you should be allowed to vote!' Williams, who was the oldest of eight children, inherited the family distillery in Tybridge Street. He probably moved into Pitmaston House in 1804 and lived there for the rest of his life, dying at the age of 80 in 1853. For all his ultra-conservative views on society he was a paradox because John Williams was one of the most free-thinking and experimental horticulturalists of the 19th century. His advanced methods led to new varieties of fruit, many of which are still standard today, and he is perhaps best remembered for his William and Pitmaston Duchess pears. He contributed to the Royal Horticultural Society's journal on grapes, mulberries, peaches, nectarines and melons as well as the more common fruit. At a dinner of the Highland Agricultural Society, Williams was acclaimed as 'the man who gave to mankind the Bruce potato!' Although the tower and the icehouse of the Strawberry Hill Gothic-style Pitmaston House were destroyed in around 1945, the walls of the fruit garden were intact until well into the 1950s, still supporting many of Williams' award-winning trees. According to one account, after 1947 the gardens were used for instruction by Christopher Whitehead Boys' School when apparently the remaining peaches and nectarines 'proved as irresistible as that apple in the Garden of Eden'. But that's lads for you. Temptation wins every time. Unless you were John Williams, the grumpy old gardener.
