Main problems of agriculture are as follows:
Instability-of-monsoon: Indian agriculture is dependent on monsoon largely. As monsoon can be fluctuating, the production of crops also fluctuates. Thus, we see a year in which there is a good crop followed by one, which is followed by acute shortage of cereals. This leads to price as well as employment fluctuations.
Cropping pattern: Indian crops can be categorized into two categories - food and non-food crops. Food crops comprise of sugarcane, food grains and beverages. Non-food crops include oilseeds and fibres. Agricultural production was seen to undergo structural change in the 90s when low production of non- food crops was noticed.
Ownership-of-land: The ownership of land in India is extremely varied. A major chunk of the land is owned by rich farmers, moneylenders and landlords. Many small farmers own just a small piece of land, which is not enough to sustain them. If they cannot make a profit in one year, then they have to borrow money at exorbitant rates of interest from moneylenders, and get caught in debt if they are not able to pay back the money. For centuries, small farmers have lost their land in this way. This is one of the problems of agriculture, in which the majority farmers do not own land or own a small plot.
Conditions of laborers: The conditions of the laborers are pathetic. When understanding the importance of agriculture, the conditions of the laborers/small farmers have to be understood and helped, so that they can live a life, which is at least above the subsistence levels.
Poor quality of seeds: The seeds quality matters largely as the crop yield depends on the seeds, Seeds that are 'assured quality' are notoriously expensive and out of the reach of the majority of the farmers in India. This leads to the poor yield of crops, and poor farmers find it hard to escape the cycle of debt.
Inadequate fertilizer and manure use: Inadequate use of manure, which is readily available to farmers, is not used to the extent that they can be used. Vegetable waste, cow dung as well as chemical fertilizers are not used as much as they should be which leads to less agricultural production than Chinese or Japanese agriculture.
Improper-irrigation: Farmers suffer from the lack of proper irrigation facilities. The government has to help the construction of irrigation works, so that small farmers can benefit. According to experts, there is still enough water in the country to irrigate whole areas of farmland, but the system of irrigation is poor. The crop is not adequately watered leading to less produce.
Less use of machinery: While understanding the importance of agriculture, we have to consider the use of farm equipment. Many farmers still use just the plough and other indigenous farming tools, though modern farming machinery is quite readily available. The two reasons why farmers do not use this machinery is because they cannot afford to buy it. The second reason is that the plots of land are too small for the viable use of machinery.
Soil-erosion: The problems of agriculture that India faces today, is the deterioration of soil due to water and wind erosion. These large tracts of land have to be treated properly and restored.
Agricultural Marketing: A major problems of agriculture is its marketing, especially by small farmers. The low income from farming is largely because farmers have to sell their produce at very cheap rates to the middlemen, thus making a very little profit. Due to the changes in land holdings, the plots have become very small, which leads to low productivity per acre.
