Agriculture has always been a prominent profession in India. Till the last few decades, every home in India was associated with agriculture in some way or another. Agriculture in India has a strong history that dates back to more than seven thousand years. There were times when Indian farmers were struggling to keep their farms but today, India’s agriculture production is second among the world. Thanks to the Green Revolution, which was initiated by the Congress government in 1984, agriculture is now accounting more than 16% of the total GDP. The industry, combined sectors such as logging, timbre products and forestry employees 59% of the total working population.

India is also the leading producer cashew nuts, milk, ginger, coconuts, turmeric, tea and black pepper and second biggest producer of rice, wheat, sugar, groundnut and fish. The total cattle population is 280 million, which is the highest in the world. In fruits, India yields around 11% of the total fruit produced in the world and ranks highest in the production of banana.

However, even after such a high yearly production, India regularly faces shortage of wheat and has no other option but to import it at higher rates. The main reason of the growing deficit in imports and exports is the population which is growing at an alarming rate. Since the rural development is dependent on agricultural, there is a dire need to make the agricultural practices more economically and environmentally sustainable. The irrigation systems also need immediate attention along with other basic infrastructural requirements such as rural markets, well-built roads, and a transparent regulation system. Only if such issues are taken care of, we can expect India to become a truly self-dependent nation.