24 Dec FROM FARM TO FOLK (GS-1,3)
FROM FARM TO FOLK- Today Current Affairs
India is one of the major agricultural economies. Out of the total workforce of the country, half is still employed in agriculture and in GDP agriculture contributes hardly 15-18% of the country’s total GDP. Despite the pandemic-led contraction in other sectors, the agriculture and allied sectors have shown a robust growth rate of 3.4% at constant prices during the year 2020-21.
In a typical farm to fork value chain, there are various components like production, Post-Harvest Infrastructure (PHI), processing and value addition, distribution, marketing, and consumption. The role of the farmer hitherto was limited to production and the other functions in the value chain like storage, distribution, and selling of produce were taken up by intermediaries. The Hindu Analysis.
About 85% of the farmers in India are small and marginal farmers who hold less than two hectares of land and their exposure to education is minimal to zero. Some of these can be targeted at the production phase and some of them can be applied during post-harvest management and marketing stages.
Production Phase: Today Current Affairs
Though India is one of the top producers in agricultural commodities, India’s per unit productivity is very low compared to countries like China, USA etc. due to subsistence farming. The recommendations from NITI Aayog to improve farm productivity are classified into six broader aspects that need immediate attention to lift the economic status of millions of farm families. These are Quality Inputs, Technology, Land Fragmentation, Irrigation & Electricity, Farm Credit, and Crop Insurance.
Initiatives like Soil Health Management under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), and scientific techniques like bio-stimulants are being implemented with the objectives to make agriculture more productive, sustainable, adopt comprehensive soil health management practices and to optimise utilisation of water resources on the farm. An increase in the agricultural credit flow has been raised to Rs 15 lakh crores, ensuring convenient access to loans at concessional rates. These programmes will facilitate access to quality inputs, micro-irrigation techniques, and farm credit which boosts farm productivity. The Hindu Analysis.
Technology is massively empowering the farmers, from giving information on seeds, soil, fertilisers, weather reports, etc. through the Kisan Suvidha Portal. The use of high-quality certified seeds together with neem-coated urea and bio-stimulants has shown a phenomenal increase in the yield per hectare. The increase in income is factored- in by two parameters – quantity and quality of the yield. The use of high-quality inputs not only produced a higher yield per hectare but also a higher quality of the produce in terms of nutrients.
Effective use of irrigation at the field level can improve on-farm water utilisation, reduce water wastage, and expand the cultivable area under assured irrigation. While there is 35%-40% of overuse in surface irrigation systems, and 65% in case of groundwater use, water-efficient irrigation like micro-irrigation has not entered many parts of the country. The adoption of water-saving technologies can recharge the aquifers and promote watershed development. The PMKSY is one such initiative that aims to boost productivity by ensuring irrigation facilities. The objective is to ensure access to efficient water conveyance and precision water application devices to agricultural farms through the programme ‘Per Drop More Crop’. The impact evaluation of micro-irrigation in 2018 shows that the farmers were able to save the irrigation cost between 20-30% and reduction in fertilisers ranging from 7-21% varying across the States and soil conditions. The overall income enhancement of farmers of 14 States surveyed is in the range of 20-50%. The combined effects of implementing high-quality inputs and precision irrigation at the farm level generate higher returns by almost 50-90% to the farmer’s income considering the impact of external factors to be minimal.
Post harvest phase: Today Current Affairs
As per the estimates, the total food loss in agricultural products ranges between 4-10% for cereals, pulses, and oilseeds whereas 5-16% for fruits and vegetables. Post-harvest losses are primarily caused by a failure in the handling and connecting of food produced to consumption points or markets. Under the umbrella scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana, the Government is implementing various schemes which include Mega Food Parks, Integrated Cold Chain, and Value Addition Infrastructure, Infrastructure for industries based on agriculture and for the development of both forward and backward linkages. The Hindu Analysis.
The Government has launched the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme with an outlay of 1.97 lakh crores in 13 key sectors, including the food processing sector, for enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities and improving exports. The food segments identified include ready-to-eat/ready-to-cook, marine products, processed fruits & vegetables, mozzarella cheese, and innovative/organic products.
Minimising the post-harvest losses through value-addition products and an efficient value chain can prevent distress sale of the produce benefitting the farmers with returns ranging from 1.4-2.5 times. Through knowledge-based inputs, informed decisions can be taken up by the farmers to implement various scientific methods at the farm level, and by adopting effective post-harvest management techniques, farmers can upscale the productivity and develop new integrated farming approaches while doubling their income.
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