13. Low Productivity

One of the main problems of Indian agriculture is its low productivity. In comparison to the other agricultural countries, the Indian agricultural yields are among the lowest in the world (Table 9.4 and Table 9.5). The main cause of low yield per hectare is the low fertility of soil and less care to replenish it through green- manure, fertilisers, fallowing, and scientific rotation of crops. The consumption pattern of chemical fertilizers has been shown in Fig. 9.4. It may be seen from this figure that Punjab with 175 Kg/ha is the leading consumer of chemical fertilisers followed by Haryana 160 Kg/ha. Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil- Nadu and West-Bengal. In general the fertiliser consumption level is very low in the areas of dry farming.

Fig. 9.4 Consumption of Fertilisers (2005-06)

Table 9.4 International Comparisons of Yield of Rice, 2005-06, (in metric tonnes/hectare)

Source: Economic Survey 2006-07, p.160

Table 9.5 International Comparison of Yield of Wheat, 2004-05, (in metric tonnes/hectare)

Source: Economic Survey 2006-07, p.160