Agriculture remains to be India’s most vital sector. Agriculture is so vital to the Indian economy that it contributes 26.8 percent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at today’s costs and employs nearly two-thirds of the workforce, that any change in the circumstances in this sector, whether positive or bad, has a multiplier effect on a whole economy. The country’s biggest industries include sugar, jute, textiles, and food processing. People who work in agriculture allied activities include farmers and groups of farmers. They grow food and non-food crops like fodder or grass, fruits and flowers and other horticultural crops, and plant trees and shrubs. They also raise animals like chickens, sheep, goats, and fish.

What are non-agricultural activities?

Non-agricultural activities include construction, mining, quarrying, repair, construction, mining, quarrying, repair, transportation, handicrafts, small-scale manufacturing community service etc.

Agriculture activity and GDP

About 58% of India’s total population has agriculture as their primary source of earning. Forestry, fishing and agriculture gross value is estimated to be around Rs.18.53 Trillion in the financial year of 2018. The retail market in India contributes to 70% of total sales. India’s food and grocery market is the sixth-largest in the world.

Trends and Figures

Agriculture and allied activities are critical to the Indian economy. The real gross value added (RGVA) at constant prices in the primary sector (agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, and quarrying) increased from Rs. 150191 in 1950-51 to Rs. 2026660 in 2016-17, indicating an annual compound growth rate (ACGR) of 4.2 per cent. Agriculture and related sector importance is demonstrated by the fact that 166 million (56.6 per cent) of the- 313 million primary workers in the country were involved in these activities. India is self-sufficient in grain production and agricultural goods at the moment. 

Agriculture and allied activities in India

Exports of agriculture and allied products (rice, pulses, fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, tobacco, spices, sugar & molasses, cashew, raw cotton, fish, meat, and processed food) increased from Rs. 284 crores in 1960-61 to Rs. 226775 crores in 2016-17, reflecting a 12.67 per cent annual compound growth rate. India is one of the world’s top 15 agricultural exporters. We have braced multi-pronged techniques and tactics such as green revolution, blue revolution, yellow revolution, red revolution, and round revolution. We are now poised for a rainbow revolution and ultimately an evergreen revolution in this difficult journey of Indian agriculture and allied sector progress.

What are some recent changes in agriculture and allied activities in India?

  • Investments worth Rs 8,500 crore (US$ 1.19 billion) have been announced in India for ethanol production.
  • In March 2018, the first mega food park was inaugurated in Rajasthan.
  • Accounting for over 558 deals, Agrifood startups in India gained US$ 1.66 billion of funding between 2013-17.
  • 18 M&A deals worth US$ 251 million were signed in the Agriculture sector in the year 2017.

Important Schemes regarding Agriculture & Allied Activities

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana: 

It is the most premier important programme for agriculture and other industries.Its objectives are:

  • To make sure that all of the investments in irrigated agriculture at the field level converge with each other.
  • To help recharge aquifers and teach people how to use water to be good for the environment.
  • To see if it’s possible to use treated municipal wastewater for peri-urban farming.

Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (Rkvy-Raftaar): Objectives

  • To make farming a profitable business, we will help the farmer strengthen their efforts, reduce risk, and promote safety.
  • Entrepreneurship in the field of farming.
  • To ensure that the country’s needs are met through a number of different sub-schemes.
  • To help young people learn new skills, come up with new ideas, and start businesses based on agribusiness.

Sub Schemes of Agricultural and allied activities in India

  • Introducing the Green Revolution to Eastern India.
  • People in Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh in India are participating in a Crop Diversification programme. It’s meant to change the crops that use a lot of water.
  • Foot & Mouth Disease – Control Plan (FMD-CP)
  • Saffron Mission
  • Accelerated Fodder Development Programme (AFDP)

The Goals of National Food Security

  • Increasing the amount of rice, wheat, pulses, coarse cereals, and commercial crops grown by expanding the area where they are grown and improving their productivity, with the environment in mind.
  • To improve soil fertility and productivity on each farm.
  • Boosting the economy at the farm level

National Horticulture Mission

  • To help the horticulture industry grow in an all-encompassing way. This means that the strategies will be based on the horticulture industry and where it is in the world. This will help the horticulture industry grow in an all-encompassing way.
  • To connect and work together with many different programmes for horticulture development.
  • To promote, develop, and spread new technologies, using a mixture of traditional wisdom and current scientific knowledge that is easy to understand.

Conclusion:

Agriculture and allied activities form a very important part of India’s economy. Forestry, fishing and agriculture gross value is estimated to be around Rs.18.53 Trillion in the financial year of 2018. The country’s biggest industries include sugar, jute, textiles, and food processing. People who work in agriculture allied activities include farmers and groups of farmers. . People who work in agriculture allied activities include farmers and groups of farmers.