10/15/2020 Essay on Green Revolution in India

Essay on Green Revolution in India

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Essay on Green Revolution in India!

Essay # What is Green Revolution ?

The introduction of high-yielding varieties of Indian seeds after 1965 and the increased
use of fertilizers and irrigation are known collectively as the Indian Green Revolution.

It provided the Increase in production needed to make India self-sufficient in food

grains.

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The programme was started with the help of the United States based Rockefeller
Foundation and was based on high-yielding varieties of wheat, rice and other grains that
had been developed In Mexico and in the Philippines. Of the high yielding seeds, wheat
produced the best results.

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10/15/2020 Essay on Green Revolution in India

Essay # Why Green Revolution ?

The world’s worst recorded food disaster happened in 1943 in British ruled India known
as the Bengal Famine. An estimated four million people died of hunger that year alone in
Eastern India (that included today’s Bangladesh). The initial theory put forward to
explain that catastrophe was that there was an acute shortfall in food production in the
area.

However, Indian economist Amartya Sen (recipient of the Nobel Prize for Economics,
1998) has established that while food shortage was a contributor to the problem, a more
potent factor was the result of hysteria related to World War II which made food supply a
low priority for the British rulers. The hysteria was further exploited by Indian traders
who hoarded food in order to sell at higher prices.

Nevertheless when the British left India four years later in 1947, India continued to be
haunted by memories of the Bengal Famine. It was therefore natural that food security
was a paramount item on free India’s agenda. This awareness led, on one hand to the
Green Revolution in India and on the other, legislative measures to ensure that
businessmen would never again be able to hoard food for reasons of profit.

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However, the term “Green Revolution” is applied to the period from 1967 to 1978.
Between 1947 and 1967, efforts at achieving food self sufficiency’s were not entirely
successful. Efforts until 1967 largely concentrated on expanding the farming areas. But
starvation deaths were still being reported in the newspapers.

In a perfect case of Malthusian economics, population was growing at much faster rate
than food production. This called for drastic action to increase yield. The action came in
the form of Green Revolution. The term “Green Revolution” is a general one that is
applied to successful agricultural experiments in many Third world countries. It is not
specific to India. But It was most successful in India.
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10/15/2020 Essay on Green Revolution in India

Essay # The Basic Strategy of the Green Revolution:

The new policy towards agriculture which began in the mid- 1960s, was a departure from
the earlier approach in a number of ways.

The main features are:

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(a) The government policy was now oriented towards changing the technical conditions
of production in agriculture rather than introducing land reforms and other changes in
the property relations in the country side.

In so far as institutional changes were part of the policy, they were chiefly in the form of
spread of State agricultural extension services in order to spread information and
provide access to the new technology, establishment of Agricultural Price Commission
(now known as Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices (ACP) in 1965,
establishment of Food Corporation of India (FCI) in the same year and efforts towards
ensuring the availability of credit from institutional sources.

(b) The new technology consisted essentially of a package of inputs and practices i
eluding seeds of high-yielding varieties, which responded very favorably to fertilizers,
irrigation and pesticides.

(c) The emphasis was primarily on increasing the output of food grains (especially wheat
and rice). Other crops such as sugarcane, oilseeds, pulses, coarse cereals, jute and cotton
were not a part of this policy.

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10/15/2020 Essay on Green Revolution in India

(d) Given the required assured water supply, the new technology was Introduced and
employed successfully in areas having irrigation facilities. The strategy was therefore
selective in approach. The focus was on selective new areas with assured irrigation water
or rainfall for the effective application of this package.

This combined with the higher yield of new wheat seeds in India, led to a regional
concentration of the new HYV technology in the irrigated wheat growing region of
Northwest India. This region, comprising the states of Punjab, Haryana and West Uttar
Pradesh became major success stories of the Green Revolution by early 1970s.

(e) The new strategy also focused on increasing marketed surplus of food grains through
price support and procurement operations. It meant a focus on those group of farmers
who could produce surplus for sale, over and above their own consumption. Essentially,
these were the larger and richer farmers, who had both resources and access to market
which encouraged them to adopt the high yield variety (HYV) package.

Essay # Results of the Green Revolution in India:

(a) Statistical results

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(b) Economic results

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10/15/2020 Essay on Green Revolution in India

(c) Sociological results

(d) Political results

(a) Statistical Results of the Green Revolution:

1. The Green Revolution resulted in a record grain output of 131 million tons in 1978-79.

This established India as one of the world’s biggest agricultural producer. No other
country in the world which attempted the Green Revolution recorded such level of
success.

India also became an exporter of food grains around that time.

2. Yield per unit of farmland improved by more than 30 per cent between 1947 and 1979
when the Green Revolution was considered to have delivered its goods.

3. The crop area under HYV varieties grew from 7 per cent to 22 per cent of the total
cultivated area during the 10 years of the Green Revolution. More than 70 per cent of the
wheat crop area, 35 per cent of the rice crop area, 20 percent of the millet and corn crop
area used the HYV seeds.

(b) Economic Results of the Green Revolution:

1. Crop areas under high-yield varieties needed more water, more fertilizers, more
pesticides and certain other chemicals. This spurred the growth of the local
manufacturing sector. Such industrial growth created new jobs and contributed to the
country’s GDP.

2. The increase in irrigation created need for new dams to harness monsoon water. The
water stored was used to create hydro-electric power. This in turn boosted industrial
growth, created Jobs and improved the quality of life of the people in villages.

3. India paid back all the loans it had taken from the World Bank and its affiliates for the
purpose of the Green Revolution. This improved India’s credit worthiness in the eyes of
the lending agencies.

(c) Sociological Results of the Green Revolution:

The Green Revolution created plenty of Jobs not only for the agricultural workers but
also industrial workers by the creation of lateral facilities such as factories, hydro-electric
power stations etc.

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10/15/2020 Essay on Green Revolution in India

(d) Political Results of the Green Revolution:

1. India transformed itself from a starving nation to an exporter of food. This earned
admiration for India in the cavity of nations, especially in the Third world.

2. The Green Revolution was one factor that made Mrs. Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) and
her party the Indian National Congress, a very powerful political force in India.

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Essay # Green Revolution: An Assessment:

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10/15/2020 Essay on Green Revolution in India

Overall, the Green Revolution Is a major achievement for India, as it has provided an
unprecedented level of food security. It represents the successful adaptation and transfer
of the same scientific revolution in agriculture that the industrial countries had already
appropriated for themselves.

It has lifted a large number of poor people out of poverty and helped many non-poor
people avoid the poverty and hunger they would have experienced had it not taken place.
The largest benefits to the poor are mostly indirect in the form of lower food prices,
increased migration opportunities and greater employment in the rural non-farm
economy.

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The direct benefits to the poor through their own on farm adoption, greater agricultural
employment and empowerment have been more mixed and depend heavily on local
socio-economic conditions. In many cases inequalities between regions and classes that
adopted Green Revolution technologies worsened, but in a number of other cases they
did not. Also, it has given rise to many negative environmental issues that have yet to be
addressed adequately.

Indian agriculture is facing new challenges. The potential of the Green Revolution
varieties appears to have exhausted. The yield barriers have to be broken through
research and development. A large number of farmers have yet to adopt the existing yield
increasing technologies. Extension access to such farmers should be ensured for wider
acceptance of the existing technologies.

The indirect benefits to the poor due to another technological breakthrough in

agriculture are likely to be weaker in the future as globalization and trade in agricultural
commodities makes food prices less responsive to local production.

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10/15/2020 Essay on Green Revolution in India

Diversification in crop production, value addition and agri-business development in the

rural sector hold the key to livelihood security in rural areas. By building on the strengths
of Green Revolution, while seeking to avoid its weaknesses, scientists and policy makers
can take significant steps towards achieving sustainable food security in the country.

The Green Revolution has been an important contributor to the growth of food grain
output in the last forty years. Current strategies of agricultural development must take
into account the need for sustainability enhancing technologies and the changes in
international trade scenario.

Issues such as suitable technologies for rainfed areas, resource management, better
livelihood strategies and trade should be Incorporated In the policy and its
implementation assured at all costs.

Essay # Social Consequences of Green Revolution:

The effect of the application of the new technology was that there was increase in
production of food grains from 1965-66 to 1970-71. Of the food-grains produced the
greatest impact of Green Revolution Is to be seen on the production of wheat.

But the harmful social effect of the Green Revolution was also soon visible. It has been
established that disparities in income have been widened by these innovations in
agriculture.

Agricultural input and improved chemical fertilizers were largely cornered by rich
landlords. Besides, the poor farmers also found themselves handicapped by small farms
of land and inadequate water supply. Given the need for complete agricultural
techniques and inputs, the Green revaluation tended to have its most concentrated
application on large farms.

As a concentration of the new technology to large farms, the Inequalities have further
Increased.

The small farmers have been adversely affected by a growing tendency among the large
farmers to reclaim land previously leased out under tenancy agreement, which has been
made profitable by higher returns from new technology. The small farmer has been
increasingly pushed into the rank of the landless labourer. There has been increase in
higher level of rent with land value soaring.

Essay # A New Green Revolution in India:

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10/15/2020 Essay on Green Revolution in India

Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh addressed the gathering at the Red Fort on
the Independence Day. He was optimistic on the 7 per cent GDP growth that year and his
government would unleash a new Green revolution to obtain fast agricultural growth.

India and the US have recently entered an agreement to conduct Joint agricultural
research in biotechnology. The research will focus on the development of drought and
heat resistance crops suitable for the Indian climate. There is little new land available for
agricultural development in the Asian nations, but increased food production is needed
to feed the growing population.

Analysts note that India’s agricultural production lags behind countries that grow bio-
tech crops. Leaders hope that biotechnology can increase farm productivity to help the
country meet its economic and development goals.

Critics are concerned that farmers will become dependent on large bio-tech firms and
doubt the claims of increased productivity promised by the industry. Farmers have
definitely shown Interest In modified crops however, rapidly expanding their planting of
genetically modified Bollgard cotton seeds since Monsanto was first allowed to sell them
In India in 2002.

Related Articles:
1. 8 Major Economical Impact of Green Revolution in India
2. Short Notes on the Main Features of Green Revolution in India

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Essay # What is Green Revolution ?

Essay # Why Green Revolution ?
Essay # The Basic Strategy of the Green Revolution:
Essay # Results of the Green Revolution in India:
Essay # Green Revolution: An Assessment:
Essay # Social Consequences of Green Revolution:
Essay # A New Green Revolution in India:

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