Indian agriculture achieves 4% growth

India is close to attaining 4 per cent growth in agriculture while grappling with a new set of challenges in the form of stressed natural resources and climate change.

"We are striving towards achieving this goal and we are hopeful that with the collective efforts we will be able to achieve this target," agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said at a function to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the Green Revolution in India, which helped boost the country's farm production with the adoption of high-yielding crops and modern techniques.

The share of agriculture in India's total GDP is 18 per cent. As against a growth target of 4 per cent for agriculture and allied sectors in the 12th Plan, growth in the first year at 2011-12 prices was 1.2 per cent and it was 3.7 per cent in 2013-14 and 1.1 per cent in 2014-15.

The minister said that after the Green Revolution years, Indian agriculture is today once again at the crossroads and facing new challenges.

"Depletion and degradation of natural resources, drop in the water table, reduction in flow of water in rivers and lakes, biotic and abiotic stress and climate change are some of the major challenges," the minister said, adding that India needs to develop strategies that will lead to sustainable productivity gains and profitable farming.

Singh said institutions such as the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) are a rich source of intellect and experience, especially with regard to agricultural research and development. "We call upon the esteemed fellowship of NAAS to provide us their view and inputs regarding growth and development of agriculture, especially in respect of improving resource use efficiency, attracting rural youth in agriculture, sustaining productivity, improving quality and standard of higher agricultural education, skill development, extension of technologies to farmers using ICTs and commercialisation of agriculture," he said.

The minister said it was time for a second Green Revolution in the country.