Answer :
Agricultural
production in India is an important determinant of overall economic
growth and a huge employer of the rural populace. Total food grain
production, for instance, in 2004/2005 (April-March) amounted to 206.4
million tones, including 87.8 million tones of rice and 73.0 million
tones of wheat (Country Report, 2005). However, yields per hectare
remain low by international standards. Other major crops grown include
oil seeds, cotton, pulses, sugar, tea, coffee, rubber, jute and potatoes.The recent slowdown in the sector is a
cause for concern and calls for a change in the government’s
agricultural policy. Some academic research suggests that in order for
India to sustain GDP growth of around 7 percent or more, agriculture has
to grow at, or in excess of, 4 percent (India Economic Survey, 2004;
Sinha, 2005; Nilekani, 2006).