Agriculture of India - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The history of Indian agriculture can be traced back to the Indus Valley civilization providing the evidence of the presence of wheat and some legumes (Agriculture in India, 2008). The country indulged in producing wheat, peas, sesame seed, barley, dates, and mangoes by 4000 BC, cotton by 3500 BC, rice and cane sugar by 3000 BC, tea, bananas and apples by 2000 BC, coconuts by 200 AD and eggplants by 500 AD (Agriculture in India, 2008).
Green Revolution – The rapidly rising population of India compelled the government to take steps with the objective of boosting food production (Agriculture in India, 2008). The Green Revolution of India resulted in a remarkable improvement in the yield of crops particularly wheat (“India Agriculture”, n.d.). This could be attained through encompassing additional areas under cultivation, an extension of irrigation facilities, deployment of improved seeds, advanced techniques, water management and plant protection (“India Agriculture”, n.d.).
Operation Flood – The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) initiated a rural development programme called the Operation Flood, with the view to establish a national milk network (Agriculture in India, 2008). The movement not only assisted a lot in cutting down poverty and famine levels but also made India the biggest producer of milk and dairy products, thereby assuming the name, the White Revolution of India (Agriculture in India, 2008).
From a nation dependent on food imports to feed its population, India today is not only self-sufficient in grain production but also has a substantial reserve. The progress made by agriculture in the last four decades has been one of the biggest success stories of free India. Agriculture and allied activities constitute the single largest contributor to the Gross Domestic Product, almost 33 percent of it. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More