Why agriculture sector is so important in India?

India is the second-highest producer of agricultural products in the world. The importance of the agriculture sector in India cannot be undermined and provides a vast number of opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses. The agricultural sector is playing an important role in the socio-economic development of our country. It is the backbone of our economy. The Indian government has implemented various measures to support farmers and increase agricultural production.

 

Importance of exports in the agriculture sector:

The agriculture sector in India is one of the most important sectors as far as the economy is concerned. The export of agriculture products is also an important category for the export of various nations. India stands at the third position in the production of agricultural products at the global level. India is the second-largest producer of agriculture goods in the world, just behind China, and is the 3rd largest exporter of agriculture products, after the European Union and the United States. 

 

 With increasing population and urbanization, demand for agricultural products is growing in India. In such a situation, Agricultural exports become very important from the current scenario. India has huge potential to increase agriculture production and export of agricultural products. India is the biggest producer of crops like rice, wheat, jowar, and cotton. India has also exported these crops to many countries across the world.

 

All the development and growth in India cannot be possible without two major components like Agriculture and Industry. When we talk about agriculture in India, various factors are there which are helpful for the growth of agriculture in India i.e. availability of water sources, climate, growth of population, etc.

 

Growth Of export in India in the export of agricultural products:

 

India has a record of the growth of previous highest mark was in 2013-14 at USD 43 billion and in 2016-17  we faced a USD 10 billion downfall and after which the Department of Commerce identified a few reasons for the decrease in Agri-exports.

• Disruption between production and export of agricultural produce. 

• The State Government and farmers are not well concerned with the concept of export-oriented production.

• The lack of balance among the state and central governments for agricultural exports.

• Lack of agricultural infrastructure

 

The department of commerce organized a meeting with farmers and state officials to address the following issues.

 

Growth In 2021-22:

After the govt. Addressed the following issues, there were steps taken to improve the exports of agricultural products:

• The government made efforts to identify the new markets and supported the farmers.

• The government made a clear analysis of all the requirements and understand the lacks and tried to improve and provide all the facilities.

• The government managed the tariff structure of the market.

With the successful efforts, India achieved the target of export of 50 USD billion in the agriculture sector. In 2021-22, India exported around USD 10 billion in rice, with a 50 percent share in the world's rice exports; the highest ever export of marine products (USD 8 billion), sugar (USD 4.5 billion), wheat (USD 2 billion) and coffee (USD 1 billion); USD 4 billion meat, dairy and poultry products exports, USD 4 billion spices exports and USD 3 billion cotton exports.