Treble India's share in farm exports to double farmers' income: Study

Agriculture experts have urged the government to increase focus on trebling India’s share in agri exports to double farmers’ income by 2022.

A report prepared by a city based not-for-profit organisation Center for Environment and Agriculture (Centegro) emphasises the need to raise India’s share in global agri exports to increase farmers’ income automatically. The report was prepared in association with experts from Tata Strategic Management Group and released by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in presence of Union Minister of State (Agriculture) Purshottam Rupala and Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture chairman Hukumdev Yadav.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) estimates global export in agricultural products at over $1,500 billion annually of which India’s share stands at less than $35 billion. The report follows the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to double farmers’ income by 2022.

“In order to double farmers’ income, our focus should shift from production to increasing consumption within and outside the country. In order to bring price stability in domestic market, we must access foreign markets. One of the ways to double farmers’ income is to increase our agricultural exports to over $100 billion by 2022,” said S Ganesan – Advisor, Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI).

Increasing India’s international presence is a key to mitigating problems arising from production glut. Indian farming is backward, un-enterprising, distressed, debt-ridden and a drag on economic resources what millions tend to believe.

India ranks second globally in agricultural production ($367 billion in 2014) whereas in services and manufacturing sectors India’s position stands at 11th and 12th respectively. Agriculture’s contribution to India’s economy extends beyond the rural economy and encompasses many activities in manufacturing and services sector. Export surplus from the country’s agricultural trade is higher than the corresponding figure achieved by the manufacturing sector.

“Traditionally used - yield per acre for crops is an unfair measure of Indian farm productivity. Globally, India is the largest producer of milk, second largest in fruits, vegetables and fish; and third largest in egg production in the world. This is all due to small and marginal farmers who deploy family labour and engage in intensive multi cropping all year round. They also manage livestock and poultry efficiently using agriculture waste as animal feed and to produce manure,” said Rajju Shroff, chairman, Centegro and CCFI.

The report said that India has 91 million hectares of irrigated land for agriculture (highest in the world).