Agriculture includes all those activities which are related to the cultivation of land for the production of crops food crops like rice and wheat and non-food crops like jute and cotton. It is the principal component of the primary sector of an economy, focusing on production through the exploitation of natural resources. Agriculture offers such goods which are essential for the survival of human beings. This is why crop farming is identified as one of the most significant economic activities across all parts of the world.
Since 1964, High Yielding Variety of seeds has replaced the conventional varieties. seeds especially relating to wheat, bajra, rice, maize, jowar, and cotton have caused a substantial rise in crop productivity, culminating in Green Revolution. National Seeds Corporation has been set up to promote the growth and distribution of seeds. In Two Thousand Nine Ten, nearly Two Hundred Fifty-Seven lakh quintals of certified seeds were distributed among farmers in different parts of the country.
Chemical fertilizers are being increasingly used to enhance productivity. The use of compost manure is also encouraged. The use of chemical fertilizers has considerably increased over time. In Two Thousand Ten Elven, nearly Two Hundred Eighty-one point Twenty-Two lakh tonnes of chemical fertilizers were used.
Co-operative Credit Societies have been set up to provide credit to the farmers at a moderate rate of interest. Also, Rural Development Banks have been established to cope with the emerging credit needs of the farmers. At present, there are Ninety-Four Thousand Six Hundred Forty-Seven Primary Agricultural Credit Societies and Seven Hundred Sixty-Eight Primary Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Developments Banks in the country. After nationalization, Commercial Banks have also been catering to the credit needs of the farmers. Regional Rural Banks have been established to further enhance credit facilities to the farmers. In One Thousand Nine Hundred Eighty-Two, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development was established to institutionalize credit facilities to the farmers at the national level. In Two Thousand Ten-Eleven, the flow of institutional credit to the farmers was estimated to be of Rupee Four Crore Forty-Six Lakh Sevel Hundred Seventy Nine.
Limited Crops:
The revolutionary rise in output due to the green revolution is confined mainly to the production of foodgrains wheat and rice. There has been no similar rise in the production of pulses and commercial crops, like jute, cotton, tea, etc.
