Page 141 - DECO502_INDIAN_ECONOMIC_POLICY_ENGLISH

Unit 12: Green Revolution
Hitesh Jhanji, Lovely Professional University

Unit 12: Green Revolution Notes

CONTENTS
Objective
Introduction
12.1 Green Revolution
12.2 New Thrust Areas in Agriculture
12.3 Green Revolution—The Future Prospects
12.4 The National Commission on Farmers and Second Green Revolution
12.5 Summary
12.6 Key-Words
12.7 Review Questions
12.8 Further Readings

Objectives

After reading this Unit students will be able to:
• Understand the Green Revolution.
• Discuss the new thrust areas in agriculture.
• Explain Green Revolution and its Future Prospects..
Introduction

Productivity in agriculture is the key to its efflorescence. And how productive is our agriculture is
the basic point of contention. Improved productivity per capita and per hectare is the key to any
agricultural revolution anywhere in the Third World. This, on a national average, is very low in
India due to heterogeneous factors.
12.1 Green Revolution

Since the mid-1960’s, the traditional agricultural practices are gradually being replaced by modern
technology and farm practices in India and a veritable revolution is taking place in our country.
Initially, the new technology was tried in 1960-61 as a pilot project in seven districts and was called
Intensive Agricultural District Programme (IADP). Later, the High-Yielding Varieties Programme
(HYVP) was also added and the strategy was extended to cover the entire country. This strategy has
been called by various names : modern agricultural technology, seed-fertiliser-water technology, or
simply green revolution.
As a result of the new agricultural strategy, area under improved seeds has gone up since 1966. The
new varieties are of a short-term duration and consequently, instead of growing one crop, two crops
and sometimes, even three crops are grown. In the case of wheat, unprecedented enthusiasm has
prevailed among farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Western U.P. for the new Mexican
varieties like Lerma Rojo, Sonara-64, Kalyan and P.V. 18 and a situation developed in which the
demand for seeds by the farmers exceeded the supply.
Traditional agriculture relies heavily on indigenous inputs such as the use of organic manures, seeds,
simple ploughs and other primitive agricultural tools, bullocks, etc. Modern technology, on the other
hand, consists of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, improved varieties of seeds including hybrid seeds,
agricultural machinery, extensive irrigation, use of diesel and electric power, etc. Since 1966, the use
of modern agricultural inputs has increased at a compound rate of 10 per cent per annum in contrast
to the traditional inputs rising at the rate of only one per cent per annum during the same period.

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