Question

Briefly discuss any two problems of Indian agriculture and suggest measures to overcome the same. 

Answer 1

(i) Seed: Good quality seeds are out of reach of the majority of farmers especially small and marginal farmers. To solve this problem the Government of India established National Seeds Corporation and State Farmers Corporation of India. A high yielding variety programme was a major thrust plan to increase the production of food grains in the country.

(ii) Manures, Fertilizers, and Biocides: Indian soils have been used for growing crops over thousands of years. This has led to depletion and exhaustion of soils resulting in their low productivity. Chemical fertilizers are costly and are often beyond the reach of the poor farmers so the problem of fertilizer availability problem is acute and complex. To solve this problem the government has given subsidy for using chemical fertilizers. In order to maintain the quality of the fertilizers, 52 fertilizer quality control labs have been set up in different parts of the country. The training institute is at Faridabad with its three regional centers at Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai.