Ploughing Towards Progress: India’s Agricultural Breakthrough

Think of India, and the first impression is often that of a large, overpopulated developing country marked by widespread poverty and a predominantly agrarian economy. However, if I told you that agriculture accounts for only 16% of India’s GDP, yet the country is food-surplus and among the top 10 food-grain exporters in the world, you would be taken by surprise, wouldn’t you? 

India’s agricultural sector has transformed dramatically since the post-independence era (1947–1960), when the nation faced severe food shortages and depended on subsidised grain imports from the United States—a period often referred to as the “ship-to-mouth” phase. In 2023–24, India achieved a record food-grain production of 332.22 million tonnes, driven by bumper rice and wheat harvests. Rice production reached 137.82 million tonnes, while wheat production stood at 113.29 million tonnes. Additionally, organic product exports surged by 34.6% in 2024–25, totalling USD 665.96 million, reflecting India’s growing presence in global agricultural trade.

Now consider that India had a rapidly growing population; without decisive action to become self‑sufficient, the problem of food shortages would only have worsened. Compounding this challenge was the country’s lack of modern irrigation systems and mechanisation, which further strained agricultural productivity. Imagine a nation historically known for its agrarian roots having millions of people in need of food—oh, the irony! 

To tackle this issue, the Government of India (GoI) ushered in several initiatives, such as high-yielding crop varieties, better fertilisers and pesticides, and improved irrigation systems, to increase overall agricultural production.

Let me paint a picture for you of how things were and how they improved over the years.

1. Newer seed varieties were introduced, along with improvements in production facilities, which helped increase agricultural output. For example, earlier rice cultivation used to take around 150 -180 days to mature. High yielding seeds helped reduce this duration to just 100 days. This enables farmers to increase the number of cropping cycles in a year and, thus, earn higher incomes.
2. Early irrigation systems consisted of wells, lakes, ponds, and canals. However, for farmers, these methods were often ineffective, as they consumed and wasted large amounts of water. Today, techniques, such as drip irrigation systems and sprinklers help use water more efficiently, minimising wastage.
3. Earlier, the agriculture sector relied heavily on manual labour and was largely labour-intensive. With improved technologies and mechanisation, farming has become more efficient, particularly in sowing and harvesting. For instance, the increased use of combine harvesters has reduced the need for manual labour while also speeding up agricultural processes.

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In addition to the above initiatives, the GoI also funded agricultural universities, which researched ways to improve farming techniques and develop innovative ideas to productivity. To encourage farmers to adopt these techniques, the government also provided subsidies.

In my opinion, the proactive role of the government has led to a substantial increase in food-grain production. As a result, a country that was once on the brink of famine is now considered the food bowl of the world. 

And that’s what I call moving to the elite league!

Punjab – The Shrinking Food Bowl

Ask anyone to describe Punjab, and they are likely to speak of vast, lush green fields stretching for miles, with farmers working diligently under a bright blue sky on farms dotted with tube wells and tractors. While there is some truth to this picture, a closer look reveals that things are not quite so rosy.

When India embarked on the Green Revolution in the 1960s, Punjab was at its forefront. Blessed with fertile alluvial soil, an abundance of rivers, and extensive irrigation canal network, large landholdings, and the entrepreneurial spirit of its farmers, Punjab led the way in making India self-sufficient in food-grain production. Not surprisingly, it came to be known as the “Food Bowl of India.” Although the state occupies only 1.5% of the country’s geographical area, it contributes roughly 38% of wheat and 31% of rice to the central pool for the Public Distribution System (PDS) and buffer stocking.

Once a model of agricultural development for other Indian states, Punjab’s agricultural sector is now in deep crisis. It faces a triple challenge of fast‑depleting groundwater resources, deteriorating soil health due to pollution, and a deceleration in yield growth.

1. Depleting Groundwater: The most critical challenge facing Punjab is the falling groundwater table, which has been declining at an annual rate of over one metre. Excessive cultivation of rice—despite it being unsuited to Punjab’s agro‑climatic conditions—requires large quantities of water. This has led to the rapid proliferation of tube wells across the state, resulting in the accelerated depletion of groundwater resources. As the area under rice cultivation has continued to expand, groundwater extraction has increased correspondingly to meet irrigation requirements. This trend has serious implications for both electricity consumption and long-term groundwater sustainability. According to government reports from 2024, the total demand for irrigation water in Punjab stood at 4.76 million hectare-metres (mhm), against an available supply of 3.48 mhm from combined groundwater and canal sources. This leaves a deficit of 1.28 mhm, which is being met through excessive groundwater extraction via tube wells.

-Sources of irrigation for Punjab (2023-2024)

2. Pollution and Deteriorating Soil Health: The intensification of the rice-wheat cropping system has led to the over-exploitation of groundwater, the imbalanced use of fertilisers, and the unabated burning of crop residues (mainly rice). These developments have adversely affected the sustainability of natural resources and the environment in Punjab. The state’s fertiliser consumption per hectare stands at 223.46 kg, compared to a national average of 90 kg. In recent years, a decline in productivity has been observed, largely due to the deterioration of soil fertility. Excessive and inappropriate use of fertilisers and pesticides polluted waterways and destroyed beneficial insects and wildlife, resulting in soil overuse and rapid nutrient depletion.
3. Declining Crop Yields: Over the years, owing to the assured Minimum Support Price (MSP) system and large-scale procurement of rice and wheat by the central government at pre-determined prices, Punjab’s farmers have become overly dependent on these two crops, which together account for over 90% of agricultural output. This dependence has come at the expense of diversification into other, higher-yielding and more sustainable crops such as pulses and maize. 

Farmers choose a crop portfolio that maximises their profits while reducing both production and market risks. Rice and wheat offer relatively higher returns and are associated with lower production as well as market risks. This has severely eroded farmers’ ability to maximise yields from their land; as a result, their only avenue for increasing income has been through an ever-rising MSP.

This has also been one of the biggest reasons behind the recent farm law protests in the country.

Conclusion

As Punjab grapples with the challenges facing its agricultural sector, there are no easy solutions, as the government realised during its attempt to introduce far reforms. Addressing these issues will require significant government investments, particularly in subsidies for crop diversification. It will also demand greater adoption of water-saving irrigation technologies by farmers, along with focused efforts in pollution control and soil preservation. There is also a pressing need for a market-driven yet remunerative pricing mechanism that enables greater participation of the private sector in procuring agricultural produce. Given the rapid progress made by Indian entrepreneurs across industries in recent years, I remain optimistic that agri-tech represents the next major revolution waiting to happen in this country.