Abstract
Indian agriculture is known for wide year-to-year fluctuations in crop output, crop yield, cropping intensity and input use across different regions (Chand et al., 2011). Such temporal instabilities and spatial variations result from a complex set of interactions among factors such as labour, land and water resources, agricultural technology, agrarian institutes, markets and public policy. In this book, a comprehensive attempt is made to bring out the transition of the Indian agriculture from pre-to-post-Green Revolution period and the deceleration from the pre-to-post-Liberalization period. This book has analyzed the performance of the crop production, crop diversification and geographical spread of growth over a longer period of time (1962–2008). The book under review is extension of the period of the analysis of the impact of new technology on regional pattern of levels and growth of agricultural output at the state, regional and district level from 1990–93 to 2005–08. These regional patterns of levels and growth of agricultural output are compared with those during the immediate pre-reform period of 1980–83 to 1990–93 as well as with those of initial period of Green Revolution, that is, 1960–65 to 1980–83.
The book begins with an introductory chapter where the author lays out the outline and structure of the book. Chapter 2 is devoted to analysis of the spatial pattern of changes in Indian agriculture at state level during 1962–65 to 1970–73, 1970–73 to 1980–83, 1980–83 to 1990–93 and 1990–93 to 2005–08. The authors find that new technology was instrumental in raising the yield and the output levels of wheat. However, the spread of new technology was confined to irrigated states only. This new technology matured from 1980–83 to 1990–93 when it spread widely to more areas and crops. Thus, according to the authors, the crop output recorded an unprecedented annual growth of 3.40 per cent during 1980–83 to 1990–93 compared with a growth rate of 2.24 per cent during 1962–65 to 1980–83. The period 1980–83 to 1990–93 also witnessed a significant change in the cropping pattern in favour of oilseed crops and against the coarse cereals in rain-fed states of central India, and towards rice and wheat in the north–western and the eastern states. The post-reform period from 1990–93 to 2003–06 was characterized by serious retrogression both in levels and growth rates of yield and output in most states and regions, and a slowdown in diversification towards oilseeds except central region of India, which diversified in favour of cotton and oilseeds. Although this has helped resource-poor farmers in these regions in raising the output and income levels, it has also exposed them to much greater weather-borne and price-fluctuation risks. These risks were further exacerbated because of increased vulnerability to world-commodity-price volatility following trade liberalization.
Chapter 3 deals with analysis of the spatial pattern of interregional variations in the levels of yields at the district level. The chapter finds that during 1962–65, yield level in most of the districts was abysmally low. These low yield districts were spread over all regions of India. The analysis in the book has brought out that introduction of new technologies helped in raising the yield level after the mid-1960s. During 1962–65 to 1970–73, the spread of new technology was rather slow. But the pace of new technology gathered momentum during the 1970s. The 1980s was marked as a turning point in the history of Indian agriculture as it was during this period that new technology was further extended to new areas and new crops. Many districts in low-yield eastern regions in general, and West Bengal in particular, registered sharp rise in yields. The period 1980–83 to 1990–93 was particularly marked by the rise in the productivity of the oilseeds.
The spatial distribution during 2005–08 brings out creditable performance of West Bengal in the east and Gujarat in the central region. The book highlights that Indian agriculture is still marked by the persistent inter-regional disparities. On the one hand, Punjab, Kerala, Haryana, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have all their districts in the high-productivity range. On the other hand, there are the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan in the central, and Bihar in the eastern, region which still have about two-fifth to three-fourth of their districts caught in the low-productivity trap. The success of new technology in enhancing the yield levels was related with the use of the modern inputs. The authors also point out that inter-regional variations exist in Indian agriculture largely due to the difference in intensity of the use of modern inputs such as fertilizers, tractors and pump sets, and differences in the availability of infrastructure like irrigation, roads and markets.
The authors then go on to illustrate nature and pattern of output and productivity growth at the district level during the period 1962–65 to 2005–08 and various sub periods in Chapter 4 of the book. The cross-classification of districts according to their growth rates over various periods highlighted the tremendous improvement in the regional coverage of growth over the period 1980–83 to 1990–93 and then a slowdown during 1990–93 to 2005–08. During 1962–65 to 1980–83, the output growth rates were moderate and high growth was confined mainly to the north-western and coastal regions of India where the new technology had been adopted. The growth of agricultural output was much more widespread across all the regions of India during 1980–83 to 1990–93. The main reason for this acceleration was the extension of new technology towards the eastern and the central regions. There was rapid diversification from coarse cereals towards high-value crops, mainly oilseeds in the central region and the southern region, and from coarse cereals to wheat and rice in the north-western region and eastern region. The decomposition of growth due to the increased use of various inputs and services clearly brings out that increased use of modern inputs and higher availability of infrastructure contributed during the 1970s and the 1980s. But, the total factor productivity growth (TFPG) decelerated from a high of 1.14 per cent per annum during 1980–83 to 1990–93 to 0.46 per cent during the post-reform period 1990–93 to 2005–08.
Chapter 5 focuses on state- and district-level analysis of changes in agricultural labour productivity during 1962–65 to 2005–08 and its sub periods. The book has clearly shown the slow growth of agricultural worker productivity during 1962–65 to 1980–83, its rapid growth during 1980–83 to 1990–93 and a deceleration of growth during the post-reform period. The gains in growth of workers’ productivity during 1962–65 to 1980–83 were mainly confined to the north-western region. It was only during 1980–83 to 1990–93 that a real breakthrough occurred and growth rates of agricultural worker productivity increased in almost all the regions of India. The slowdown during 1990–93 to 2005–08 was prevalent across all the regions, but it was more pronounced in the Green Revolution (north-western) states. The book points that even after four decades of significant development in Indian agriculture, 45.7 per cent of the agricultural workers are still trapped in areas of low levels of labour productivity. The regression estimates in the book suggest that the prevailing inter-district disparities in per worker productivity in Indian agriculture can be bridged by expanding per worker cultivable land by promoting more intensive use of the land resources, improving education and skill level of the rural labour force and the development of rural infrastructure such as rural roads and agricultural markets in the lagging regions.
Chapter 6 concludes the book with analytical findings and recommendations. The analysis in the book has brought out that the post-reform period 1990–93 to 2005–08 is characterized by the slowdown in agricultural growth rate at the all–India, state and district levels. This slowdown is likely to adversely affect the income of the vast sections of the workers engaged in agriculture. The worst affected will be small and marginal farmers. The slowdown in growth rate was steep in high yield and high growth states and districts in north–western region. One of the major reasons identified for deceleration of agricultural growth and productivity was decline in public investment in general, and in irrigation in particular in the post-reform period. The technology fatigue is cited as another reason for decline in growth rate. The analysis in the book by the authors has brought out that trade liberalization has offered increased opportunities to the growers of export crops and plantation crops in southern India in general and in Kerala in particular. Though the book has comprehensively analyzed the regional patterns of agricultural growth, but it fails to analyze the main reasons for the failure of economic liberalization to improve the state of agriculture in India. But, still the book merits the attention of scholars and policymakers interested in understanding how different policy regimes affected the performance of Indian agriculture. Thus, the book is highly recommended for researchers, concerned academicians and policy makers.