Name one staple crop of India and the regions where it is produced.
Rice is the staple food crop of a majority of the people in India.
Rice is grown in the plains of north and north-eastern India, coastal areas and the deltaic regions.
Enlist the various institutional reform programmes introduced by the government in the interest of farmers.
The various institutional reform programmes introduced by the government in the interest of farmers are mentioned below:
(i)Provision for crop insurance against drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease.
(ii)Establishment of Grameen banks, cooperative societies and banks for providing loan facilities to the farmers at lower rates of interest.
(iii)Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) schemes is introduced by the Government of India for the benefit of the farmers.
(iv)Moreover, special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes for farmers have been introduced on the radio and television.
(v)The government had also announced minimum support price, remunerative and procurement prices for important crops to check the exploitation of farmers by speculators and middlemen.
The land under cultivation has got reduced day by day. Can you imagine its consequences?
Consequences of reduction of agricultural land:
(i)India will turn in to food deficit from food surplus country.
(ii)India will face shortage of raw material for its agriculture based industries.
(iii)The poor farmers will become poorer and it will also lead to sharp rise in prices of the agricultural items.
Suggest the initiative taken by the government to ensure the increase in agricultural production.
Considering the importance of agriculture in India, the Government of India has made concerted efforts to increase agricultural production.
(i)Establishment of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), agricultural universities, veterinary services and animal breeding centres, horticulture development, research and development in the field of meteorology and weather forecast, etc. are given priority for improving Indian agriculture.
(ii)Food security policy has enabled the poor to have access to food. The focus of the policy is on growth in agriculture production and on fixing the support price for procurement of wheat and rice, to maintain their stocks. Food Corporation of India (FCI) is responsible for procuring and stocking foodgrains, whereas distribution is ensured by public distribution system (PDS). The FCI procures foodgrains from the farmers at the government announced minimum support price (MSP).
(iii)The Green Revolution based on the use of package technology and the White Revolution (Operation Flood) are some of the strategies initiated to increase agricultural production.
Describe the impact of globalisation on Indian agriculture.