India requires a 5% growth rate in agriculture to become a developed nation by 2047

To become a developed nation by 2047, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said India requires a five per cent annual growth rate in agriculture and allied sectors. Chouhan highlighted that foodgrain is grown on 93% of farmland, but the growth is just 1.5%. He added, ‘We are working towards bridging the yield gap in crops and achieving a national average yield.’

The minister expressed confidence that the five per cent annual growth rate is achievable, emphasising that various agricultural institutes play a key role in this endeavour. He said ‘Research plays a very important role in increasing agricultural production and reducing costs. Our target is to maintain an annual agricultural growth rate of 5 per cent. Our effort is that all the research institutions work in one direction to achieve the goals.

He noted that the agriculture and allied sector must achieve $1 trillion for India to become a $5 trillion economy. He also stressed the need to enhance farm exports to 20% from the current level of six per cent. On research and development, the minister said that currently, 0.4% of agriculture GDP is invested in innovation and research.

He pitched for better utilisation of natural resources for agriculture as land holdings are expected to decline to 0.6 hectares by 2047 from the current level of 1.18 hectares. He also called for better utilisation of germplasm. He said, ‘We currently have 4.5 lakh germplasm, out of which 5% is used. We need to raise this.’ The minister mentioned that short, mid, and long-term plans will be chalked out after brainstorming with agricultural institutions.