Farm sector: Infrastructure holds the key

Agriculture sector has been showing a topsy- turvy rate of growth over the years. However, over the last decade Indian agriculture has become more robust with record production of foodgrains and oilseeds. Increased procurement, consequently, has added huge stocks of foodgrains in the granaries. India is one of the world's top producers of rice, wheat, milk, fruits, and vegetables. But given that India is still home to a quarter of all undernourished people in the world and since on an average almost half the total expenditure of about half the households is on food, increasing the efficiency of the farm-to-fork value chain is crucial for eliminating poverty and malnutrition
In India, most of the plans lack the realistic touch. Often politics pushes back the economic positives. Rather economics is used for achieving political purposes.  This is the reality not only in India but also in the entire developing world. Either the projects are not taken up or even when the same is taken up the rate of progress remains at a palpably low level. This affects the farm sector as well. Target for India's 12th Five year Plan has been nicely placed. But the rate of growth remains the same traditional in nature and not much achievement could thus be there.
The potentialities still are so high. How many countries are there in the world that can produce grapes twice in a year! The quality of many horticultural crops enables India to remain largely unbeatable in the global market. In spite of competition becoming intense - hotter and hotter - India is able to retain the markets for many agri-commodities.
The point here is that had India been one of the grain bowls by now it could have reaped large benefits from the rising international prices of the agri-commodities. The most important factor on this score is that demand for such commodities - especially the food grains - would never come down rather it is all set to go up over time. Population surge, coupled with growing demand from industrial sectors, could keep the demand factor at reasonably high level.
Whatever is, the lead is to come from the two giants - India and China. As a matter of fact, the world has to depend on these two regions in the days to come. China has, of late, also has been stressing hard on this sector, clearly realising those big industries alone or an export-led growth ultimately hinges heavily on how the food factor extends support. For India, fortunately that sort of negligence has not been there - the missing factor remained at not properly exploring the resources at a quicker pace.  
Agricultural risks management has now emerged as the key arena.
Food security is such an area where no compromise can simply be made. Either one becomes self-sufficient in vital areas or suffer.
That is why the urgent need is there to go for overall farm development efforts. Infrastructure holds the key. The loss incurred during the entire production process, inclusive of the damage done in the unscientific threshing, rat menace, field loss, can be minimised. Without proper training imparted to the farmers as regards post-harvest technology not much can be expected on this score. Connectivity between the producing zone and the selling zones calls for immediate reinforcing. Buy-back arrangement is obviously a good process provided the actual producer receives the legitimate benefit in due course.
That is why agricultural modernisation has no alternatives. Area under cultivation cannot be raised continuously even if the fallow land is brought under cultivation. The question is regarding availability of quality seeds, bio-fertilisers' applications, and finally, technological consolidation of holdings. Best water use process is another area that deserves attention. Here also scientific planning regarding exploration of ground water holds the key as indiscriminate use gives rise to other problems. Surface water utilisation has also not been optimally done.
Fortunately, India is blessed with a number of good agricultural universities, personnel having the necessary knowledge backed by Government encouragement plus skilled farmers. But where is the harm to learn more from the rich experiences in the West? Water management is something that we have to learn from them, among others, for example.
The upshot is that whichever country which had not attached enough of importance on this score had to bear the brunt. Overnight success is not more than a wishful thinking.
Dr  B K  Mukhopadhyay, a Management Economist, is  attached to the West Bengal State University, India.
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