Commercialization of Indian Agriculture

In recent years, India's agriculture has undergone dramatic transformations. These changes are the result of the agriculture sector's large-scale commercialization and diversification. They basically encompass the cultivation of new crops and types, a growth in the share of land under income crops, a large-scale spread of livestock and fisheries, and the pursuit of hi-tech agriculture in fields such as aquaculture, biotechnology, horticulture, and processing, among others. The most recent modifications are essentially adaptations by our agriculture to the changing economic environment brought about by the liberalisation process. Over time, the agricultural industry has seen major changes in crop mix, favouring superior cereals and non-traditional oilseeds such as sunflower, soyabean, and others. These shifts are largely the result of deliberate public policy support, such as price incentives and investments in the development of new technology. Outside of the agricultural sector, diversification of agriculture through subsidiary firms in animal husbandry, poultry, fisheries, sericulture, and other areas has been a significant development that has accompanied commercialization. Agriculture's commercialization, growth, and diversification have accelerated since the 1980s, particularly in the 1990s. Agriculture has been commercialised at various eras and in response to various circumstances. Previously, commercialization was associated with the cultivation of cash crops such as cotton, sugarcane, jute, tobacco, and other crops grown solely for the market. Due to the farmers' economic needs, even food grains were produced for the market over time. The Green Revolution, which boosted the marketable surplus, has accelerated this transformation. This transformation has also been aided by a favourable price policy for food grains. With the introduction of new technologies, farm households' cash requirements expanded as a result of greater usage of purchased inputs, necessitating the large-scale production of cash crops. As a result, the percentage of land planted to these crops, particularly wheat, has risen over time.