Why Challenges of Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022 are Acceptable in Context of the Present Indian Agricultural Scenario

The earlier strategies for agricultural development in our country focused primarily on enhancing agricultural production and food security. The policies largely emphasized on increase in agricultural productivity through latest technologies and cultivars, and augmented use of quality seeds, agrochemicals and plant nutrients. Those approaches transformed India not only as food selfsufficient at the national level, but also as one of the leading food-exporting countries at the global level; though it did not explicitly recognize the need to increase farmers’ income and never identified any direct means to support the welfare of farmers. Past experiences show that although growth in production enhances farmers’ income in some cases, in most others, it does not enhance with output. The net result is the stagnating farmers’ income, which is evident from the increasing poverty among rural households. The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) survey data on consumption expenditure for the year 2011–12 revealed that one-fifth of rural households whose main occupation is agriculture fall below poverty line. Furthermore, farming occupation fetched income which is less than non-farm workers. This discrepancy is large and needs a policy strategy to enhance farmers’ income at a profitable rate. It could be achieved in two ways, i.e. increase in producers’ share in consumers’ rupees, and reduction in the number of farmers to share their total income.