Experts’ Speak - Protect Our Livelihood
To restore soil health and improve both crop and human nutrition, India needs a paradigm shift—from indiscriminate fertilisation to tailored and science-based soil nutrition management. This calls for a more precise and customised fertilisation strategies, informed by rigorous soil testing, and aligned with the specific nutritional needs of different soils and crops. Only when soils receive nutrients do they produce food that nourishes rather than merely fills stomachs. This is no longer just an agricultural issue; it’s a public health imperative. Thus, to truly move from plate to plough—and back to plate—we must start by healing the Mother Earth. Only then we can walk as a healthy nation.
India’s agricultural exports, currently around US$50 billion, must pivot from volume-based, water-intensive staples like rice to high-value, climate-resilient commodities such as millets, maize, processed foods, and buffalo meat. To reach US$100 billion in exports, India needs policy reforms, investment in infrastructure, global market engagement, farmer training, and sustainable practices. A shift toward value addition, product diversification, and international branding will drive competitiveness, enhance farmer incomes, and position India as a major player in global agri trade. FPOs are successful in pockets, where farmers are well organised with supportive systems and markets. That is an ecosystem success story. The government can concentrate on creating iconic FPOs, working with CSOs [Civil Society Organizations] and philanthropies. Further steps are needed, such as literature on: easy to understand and actionable know/do-how; learning management solutions and how to place unique FPO products on ONDC/digital marketing platforms, may be kept in public domain, in all languages. The effort should be to create exemplar FPOs for others to emulate, which can emerge organically through genuine and felt need. Sixty-eight years ago, John H Davis and Ray A Goldberg introduced the term agribusiness in their 1957 book A Concept of Agribusiness...Today, the agribusiness sector plays a critical role in the global economy... The sector extends beyond primary agriculture, encompassing a wide range of services such as transportation, storage, refrigeration, credit, finance, insurance, and agritech innovations…agribusiness management should be a core part of agricultural education, essential for economic growth, rural development, and global competitiveness. India has the largest population of livestock globally…There exists a considerable scope to exploit the untapped potential of livestock through strategies such as: (i) optimising livestock population; (ii) enhancing and prioritising public spending on livestock; (iii) improving supply of feeds and fodders; (iv) improving delivery of livestock services; (v) investing more in research and extension; (vi) improving coverage of livestock insurance; and (vii) strengthening markets and value chains. India’s agricultural trade can grow in an increasingly reciprocal global market if we negotiate smartly and prioritise our investments that make Indian agriculture more competitive rather than dependent on heavy subsidies (as in case of fertilisers). Trump’s tariff threat should be a wake-up call for India’s agricultural policymakers. If handled wisely, it could be an opportunity to transition from tariff-heavy trade protectionism to a more resilient, productivity-driven export strategy — one that ensures long-term gains for Indian farmers and exporters alike. The more things are changed, the more they remain the same. This holds true for recent attempts at agricultural reforms in India with even the three well-intentioned farm laws being rescinded in 2021 following widespread farmer protests. However, the challenges faced by small and marginal farmers, who make up nearly 85 per cent of the community, cannot be addressed without sustained reforms. The sector is of such critical importance that progressive changes must be continually pursued. Budget 2025 presents a timely opportunity to stay focused on reform-tweaks, especially in creating conditions that support the “ease of doing business” for farmers. The entire MSP framework needs a revisit — not in the direction of making it legal but freeing up prices of products as also its major inputs such as fertilisers and power. In fact, land markets also need to be opened up, starting with land lease markets. A highly regulated land market, and pricing of inputs and some outputs (rice and wheat), with massive procurement, is leading to huge inefficiencies in the system. A new model of holistic collective farming offers a beacon of hope. This innovative approach aims to pool fragmented landholdings, empower small farmers through collective efforts, and ensure sustainable, profitable farming practices. The holistic collective farming model is not just an economic initiative; it is a vision for social transformation Recently, the Centre approved expansion of the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) scheme to extend financial assistance for creation of viable community farming assets and integrated post-harvest management infrastructure. Though the scheme has been implemented since July 8, 2020, it is saddled with certain challenges at the ground level.