India’s Agricultural Challenges and their Implications for Growth of its Economy

Agriculture continues to remain the predominant sector of the Indian economy even though its share in national output has declined from more than 50 per cent in the initial years after Independence from colonial rule in 1947 to less than 25 per cent in recent years. In terms of employment and livelihood, still around 58 per cent of workforce is engaged in agriculture as their principal occupation. Due to its importance in national output and employment, agriculture was paid special attention by India’s policy-makers and development planners which helped this sector to play an important role in economic development of the country and in improving income and living standards of the vast population dependent on agriculture.