SCOPE OF AGRICULTURE IN INDIA AND MAHARASHTRA

2. Title: Introductory Agriculture
Prof. Shivaji R. Suryavanshi
Asst. Professor of Agronomy,
Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Agriculture,
Talsande.

3. SCOPE OF AGRICULTURE IN INDIA
AND MAHARASHTRA

4. • Agriculture is the oldest and most
important occupation of the world.
• Agriculture may be defined as an
art, the science and the business of
producing crops and livestock for
economic purposes.

5. HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT IN AGRICULTURE
DURING BRITISH RULE AND IN FREE INDIA
1870 Joint Deptt. of Agri., Revenue and commerce established
1871 Department of Agriculture created
1878 Higher education in agriculture at Coimbatore
1880 Famine commission appointed, True approach to scientific farming started.
1890 Higher education in agriculture at Pune
1891 Dr. J.A. Voelcker report on improving Indian agriculture.
1900 Forest Research Institute

6. 1901 First Irrigation Commission
1905 Imperial (now Indian) Agril. Res. Institute at Pusa (from 1936 at New Delhi)
1912 Sugarcane Breeding Institute was established at Coimbatore (TN)
1921 Indian Central Cotton Committee
1926 Royal commission on Agriculture headed by Lord Linlithgrow
1929 ICAR started at New Delhi for co-ordinating Agril. Research work in India.
1936 Indian Central Jute Committee
1942 Department of food created
1942 Grow more food campaign
1944 Indian Central Sugarcane Committee
1946 Directorate of Plant protection & Quarantine
1946 Central Rice Research Institute

7. 1947 Fertilizers and Chemicals, Travancore
1956 Project for Intensification of Regional Research on Cotton,
Oilseeds and millets (PIRRCOM)
1957 All India coordinate Maize Improvement Project
1958 First P.G. School at IARI, New Delhi
1960 Intensive Agriculture District Programme (IADP)
1960 First Agricultural University at Pantanagar
1963 National Seed Corporation (NSC), Agril. College, Kolhapur
1964 SAU in different states
1965 Intensive Agriculture Area Programme (IAAP)
1965 National Demonstration Programme

8. 1966 High Yielding Varieties Programme
1966 Directorate of Extension / Multiple Cropping Scheme
1969 Second Irrigation Commission
1970 Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP), MPKV started
1970 National Commission on Agriculture (report submitted in 1976)
1971 All India coordinated project for Dryland Agriculture
1972 International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
1973 Minikit Trials Programme
1974 Command Area Development
1976 Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)
1977 Training and visit system (T&V)

9. 1979 National Agriculture Research Project (NARP)
1982 National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
1985 National Agricultural Extension Project (NAEP)
1986 National Agricultural Research Project (Phase II)
1998 National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP)
1999 National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (New name CIS)

10. SCOPE OF
AGRICULTURE IN
INDIA AND
MAHARASHTRA

11. • India basically an agricultural country,
likely to continue to be so for a long time
to come unless some miracle happens at
some stage. In spite of this the country
has been unable to be assured of needed
supplies of food grains and other
agricultural products. Therefore the
scope of agriculture is very vast in India
and also in Maharashtra, as it is the most
important enterprise in India economy
(agriculture sector contribute 30 % GDP).

12. • India - only country in the world having all type
of soils & climatic conditions suitable for
growing variety of crops.
• Proper attention needed to exploit all the
agricultural resources and technology
developed in the field of agriculture, India will
be at the top in the world.
• India - exporter of fruits, tea, coffee, basmati
rice and many other agricultural commodities,
which help for getting foreign exchange.
• Foreign exchange -Rs. 60 billion is earned
• 25 % of countries total exchange earnings.

13. • In Asian countries figures of 2002
indicated that India has largest area
under rice, however production was
highest in China due to less
productivity (2915 kg/ha) of Indian
rice than China (6266 kg/ha).

14. • India has the potential to become the
number one rice producer in the world. It
is expected to play a crucial role in rice
production and technology & focus has
to be on tapping the production potential
in the North Eastern region. New high
yielding varieties and area under hybrid
rice should be extended beyond the
frontiers of South India.

15. • In Maharashtra, scope
for increasing rice
productivity of 1751
kg/ha to around 3000
kg/ha as observed in
potential areas of A.P.,
Punjab and Tamilnadu.
• Tap the potential of
ethanol production from
sorghum grains and
jaggery production from
juice of sweet sorghum.

16. • Among the pulses 90 % of
world’s pigeon pea produced
in India as well as acreage
(1.02 thousand ha.) in
Maharashtra is highest
among all states but the
productivity is still lower
(757 kg/ha) compared to
Uttar Pradesh (1142 kg/ha)
this could be increased
through use of recent
technologies.

17. • Recently agriculture includes
all aspects of crop production
(field crops, plantation and
fruit crops), livestock farming,
processing and preservation of
agricultural produce such as
food grains, fiber, vegetables,
fruits and animal products,
fisheries, forestry, apiculture,
cultuserire etc.

18. • No doubt, we have achieved the goal of green
revolution (for increasing production of
wheat, sorghum & rice as major food crops,
with introduction of Mexican varieties in India
by Nariman E. Borlaug is 1965-1970),

19. • Yellow revolution: (with launching of
technology mission on oilseeds in 1986)

20. • White revolution (increasing milk production with
breeding with exotic breeds & developing potential
cross-bred cows)

21. • Blue revolution (increasing fish production)

22. Rainbow revolution:

23. • Rainbow revolution: ICAR given motto (for
increasing production of horticultural crop
through National Horticultural Mission in
2002-03).

24. Round revolution: increasing
Potato Production

25. • There are new challenges or problems
faced by the farmers like water logging,
salinity and micronutrient deficiency
symptoms particularly zinc which cause
khaira disease of rice, as well as new pest
problem in sugarcane like wooly aphids
and white grub.

26. Metarrhizium against grubs Biocane
GMF biocane • Infected Cane grubs

27. • To overcome these problems, appropriate
water management, fertilizer management
and pest management through integrated
approach are developed.

28. • Now a days it is necessary to evolve the
varieties of field crops, vegetables, fruit
crops etc. with quality and high yield
potential, and resistant to pests and
diseases with wider adaptability under
different eco-units.

30. • An animal breeding for increasing
milk and meat production is
essential.

31. It is also essential to initiate and strengthen the
researches on cropping systems rather than individual
crop to exploit fullest potential of natural resources.

33. Similarly, research on agro-forestry system suitable to different
agro-ecological units for proper land use, environment protection /
conservation and increasing agricultural production.

34. • Preparation of value added products
(e.g. Baby corn which fetches higher
price, use of safflower petals as a
ayurvedic medicine)

35. • Use of genetically modified plants by means of
biotechnology for increasing agricultural production.

36. All these are the recent challenges in
the field of agriculture.

37. • Therefore, continuous research and
development in field of agriculture is
non-ending and continuous process.
• In India about 45 SAU’s (State
Agricultural Universities) so also huge
network of National Agricultural
Research System is in operation under
ICAR and is looking for research,
education and extension activities.

38. • Similarly in Maharashtra, four
Agricultural Universities, Department of
Agriculture, ICAR funded KVK’s and
several Non-Government Organization
(NGO’s) like Pani Panchayat are engaged
in education, research and transfer of
technology as well as motivating farmers
for awareness of modern technologies in
the field of production per unit area
without degradation of natural
resources.

39. • Dry land agriculture :
• Crop diversification :
• Hi-tech Horticulture :
• Animal based farming system :
• System for disease surveillance & monitoring
• Sustainable farming :
• Organic farming :
• Agro-industries :
• Multidisciplinary Research :

40. Multidisciplinary Research :
• Water resource development and
management, water use management.
• Integrated nutrient, pest and disease
management.
• Food and Agricultural processing.
• Bio-mass management and utilization.
• Crop improvement
• Multi-disciplinary areas generally use
resources more economically.