At a glance
Agriculture and allied sector GVA growth rate declined from 6.3% in 2017 to 2.9% in 2019
Export in terms of value of agri commo-dities and processed food jumped 7% in 2019
Erratic weather patterns disrupted agri activities
Production is expected to decline for most crops as compared to the previous years
Cereals and food grains are expected to have a surplus production, while pulses and oilseeds will be short in supply as compared to demand, in the coming decade
Key challenges
Agri-insurance scheme is facing issues
Capacity utilisation in edible oil refining has decreased from 65% to 46% in five years.
High-yielding cattle can be developed by using high quality sorted semen or live embryos.
Climate change and bio-security affect agri
Only 52% of the potential of inland fishery has been realised so far
Industry ask
MFBY needs to be revamped in terms of design
Both short- and long-term measures needed to promote indige-nous edible oil
Regulatory mechanism for import of high-quality semen and live-embryo for livestock needs to be simplified
Need improvement in fishing gear, infra for deep sea fishing, collection, storage and traceability of harvest, and processing of aqua produce
Export needs to be supported through awareness programmes
Start-ups and ag-tech promotion
A multi-faceted, syste-mic approach needed for climate change issue
There is a need for planning in sowing, connecting various markets digitally for a better price discovery mechanism, and regular flow of marketable surplus
PwC point of view“There is a huge potential for investment in various sub-sectors across thematic areas such as insurance, marketing infrastructure, cold chain and food processing. Policy thrusts in the right area can significantly improve performance of the sector. However, climate change poses a huge threat”
Industry voiceThe agri sector needs priority and attention. Looking at this sector holistically across the value chain, addressing every stage, from farm to fork, shall prove beneficial. The entire crop diversification needs a robust incentive and implementation plan”
Source: Business Standard
