A Stagnant Agriculture in Kerala: The Role of the State (original) (raw)
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Artha Journal of Social Sciences, 2022
This paper is an analysis of the controversial reforms introduced in the agricultural market of India in 2020. The researcher does a comprehensive review of these reforms using data obtained from Kerala and interlinks the components in the existing literature to proceed for a macro-level examination. This is to critically understand the policy dimensions of the laws introduced and their subsequent repeal. The background and evolution of market-mediated reforms in the agricultural sector, the immediate drive for a new set of laws, the question of middlemen in the market, the structural inequalities, and the resultant power asymmetry in Indian rural society are addressed. There are also informed suggestions for possible ways to guarantee a Minimum Support Price (MSP). More than a systemic critique of the newly introduced (and later repealed) farm laws, the real problems in the agricultural market are placed to check the changing direction and agenda in market reforms.
Agriculture Development in India: A State Level Analysis
South Asian Journal of Social Studies and Economics, 2020
Agriculture plays vital role in the process of economic development of less developed countries like, India. Besides providing food for the nation, agriculture absorbs labor, provides saving, contributes to the market of industrial goods and earn overseas exchange. The present study attempted to examine the performance of Indian agriculture during post green revolution period and economic reform period. A semi-log model was used to calculate compound annual growth rate of major food and non-food crops. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the land use pattern change and cropping pattern change. Fertilizer use ratio was calculated to examine the judicious use of chemical fertilizers. Study findings reveal that though, green revolution moved out from the food crisis arisen in the early sixties in some extent, but it also brought regional disparities in the resources use, productivity and cropping pattern. Promotional price policy for some cash crops leads to scarcity in others. Change in an environmental factors, along with economic and technological factors are increasing degree of the vulnerability in farm profits in particular and the livelihood of farmers in general. The present study suggested following policy implications. First, there is need of ultramodern technology that provides up-to-date weather information. Second, government should promote home-made bio-fertilizers and organic farm practices. Third, an intensive survey should be carrying out to understand the farm requirement of marginal farmers and based on the feedback mechanism, technology would be develop. Fourth, private investors should be invited to develop a food chain Original Research Article Singh; SAJSSE, 6(2): 17-34, 2020; Article no.SAJSSE.55683 18 mechanism to procure the food items at the time of harvesting and release in the off-cropping season for price stability. Lastly, India needs land reforms, in which, land consolidation and identification of real farmers should be given first priority.
An Evaluation of the Structural Change of the Agrarian Sector in Kerala
2023
The study made an effort to look into Kerala's agricultural development patterns, growth performance, and structural changes. In Kerala, commercial cash crops like rubber and coconut replaced food crops including lentils, rice, tapioca, cashew nuts, and ginger, causing a shift in the cropping pattern in favour of non-food crops at the expense of food crops. Agriculture has become more vulnerable as a result of the shrinking cultivable area, the predominance of small and dispersed holdings, the fall in agricultural labour, and cultivator use. Methodology: The methodology used in this study is Descriptive Research, which is mainly concerned with secondary data sources. Books, newspapers, journals, articles, and government websites are used to gather secondary data. The information has been collected by using the keywords-sectoral wise changes, structural transformation, agricultural development, commercial agriculture, and agribusinesses. The required articles were obtained by electronic search and manually screened. Originality: The significance of the current study rests in the fact that the preceding studies have not yet addressed the entire structural transformation of Kerala's agrarian sector in a thorough and comprehensive manner, making it necessary. Value: By examining the productivity of the sector, the study will aid in determining the change in trends of agriculture scenario in Kerala and the problems of agriculture sector in Kerala. Findings: The study discovered that while the employment share of the primary sector has not decreased in pace with the substantial reduction in its part of the GSDP. Furthermore, there has been only a little increase in the percentage of income from the secondary sector in the GSDP due to the excess labour force moving from the primary to the secondary sectors, which has led to abundance in the latter. In Kerala, the changes in land use patterns over the past few decades were unparalleled in terms of deforestation, growth in current fallow land, expansion of non-agricultural land, and decreases in net sowing and gross crop area, which led to a drop in cropping intensity.
This article addresses an older debate which held that the agricultural transformation in the regional economy of Kerala has been mainly driven by 'peasant rationality'. It is argued in this article that the agrarian transformation driven by peasant rationality has created a dichotom ous agrarian society in the state, with a genre of rich farmers who have significantly benefited by the 'rational' switch over to commercial agricul ture and another segment of subsistence farmers who have been marginalized by the agricultural development process. The article argues that the agricultural development process driven by 'peasant rationality' has several ramifications for the sustainable future of Kerala's agricultural economy. To substantiate this, the article critically examines the agricultural development experience of the state over the past six decades and brings out the impasse affecting the agricultural sector in the emerging context of growing market uncertainties and other challenges confronting the agroecosystems and natural environments.
Indian Agriculture: Before and After Economic Reforms
Agriculture once known as the backbone of Indian Economy is at present at its worst, thanks to the anti farmer, pro-Industry policy of the various Indian Governments since 1991. India is once considered as the "Ann Data" of the entire world is struggling even to manage the own demand-supply problem of various agricultural commodities. The farmers are committing suicides, are celebrating "Crop Holidays" and are fighting with Govt. for illegal acquisition of land for developing Real estate or other commercially viable projects at the cost of Agriculture. The aim of this paper is to bring out the present scenario in the field of agriculture that leads to the minimum contribution of Agriculture in the Indian GDP, once the main contributor. This paper will discuss the various issues like less technical support to farmers, poor quality seeds, inappropriate storage, Minimum Support Price, irrigation, the problem of credit availability and above all the impact of Liberal...
A good comprehensive book that covers all major issues of Indian agriculture, over time and space, has been missing for a while, and here is one such book by Akina Venkateswerlu which can fill that void. With broad objective to cover all issues and give a political economy analysis at one place, the book becomes little bulky, with about 22 chapters, divided into seven parts. These essentially cover a long list of issues like colonial impact, land reforms, Green Revolution, Neoliberal reforms, credit, marketing, extension, PDS, procurement, WTO obligations, GM seeds, SEZs, post-globalization agrarian crisis, and mode of production, blending critical review, data and policy issues, covering seventy years. The breadth of issues covered at one place has its advantages. The book has an implicit framework of political economy, state policy being seen as an outcome of promoting interests of contending class forces. The book purports the efforts of the state to promote growth determined by the capital accumulation, the speed and the social character of the accumulating class. The standard narrative of this approach presents the policy failures and achievements as progressive and constrained process of aiding the capitalist development. The book in its part gives precisely these aspects, locating them since colonial times to the post-independent development. Chapter 1 discusses the impact of colonial policy on Indian agriculture, its forcible commercializing, taxation policies, creating complex semi-feudal structures in land, labour, credit and output markets and the resultant long-term stagnation and misery. The book also takes us at a great length through the failures of making progressive land redistribution (chapters 4 and 5) and resorting to technological options to increase the market surplus. The book puts the assessment of green revolution, including India, as of precarious dependence on US imports under PL 480 and its influence on our policy choices of technology. In spite of criticism, green revolution is hailed for boosting area under new seeds, productivity and output and in enabling the country to overcome acute food shortage, become self-sufficient, reduce rural poverty, increased modernization, per capital availability and an agrarian change. The book takes us through the achievements, growth from mid-seventies and eighties, increasing yields, expanded area and production. Chapters 7, 8 and 9 elaborately document
Indian Public Policy Review
Issue: Jan-Feb 2021 This paper explores the recent farm laws passed by parliament and their impact on farmers’ income. The laws collectively offer greater freedom to cultivators to sell their produce at better prices and allow farmers to enter into contracts with processors, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers and exporters at mutually agreed crop prices. The laws also encourage private investment into storage and warehousing by removing stockholding limits. To make these reforms work, some conditions may have to be fulfilled and imperfections and concerns have to be addressed, which are elaborated in the paper. Finally, the paper focuses on other agricultural reforms to improve the supply-side factors, such as rationalization of subsidies, land reforms, use of technology, strengthening institutions and governance, and improving rural infrastructure.