Which of the following statements is correct with reference to Agriculture sector during 1950-1990?

The correct answer is Indian agricultural productivity increased during this period.

Key Points

Agriculture sector during 1950-1990:

• At independence, about 75% of the country’s population was dependent on agriculture.
• Productivity in the agricultural sector was very low because of the use of old technology and the absence of required infrastructure for the vast majority of farmers.
• The stagnation in agriculture induced as a result of colonial rule was permanently broken by the green revolution.
• This refers to the large increase in the production of food grains resulting from the use of high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds, especially for wheat and rice.
• The nation had immensely benefited from the green revolution.
• Thus, by the late 1960s, Indian agricultural productivity had increased sufficiently to enable the country to be self-sufficient in food grains. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Economists have found that as a nation becomes more prosperous, the proportion of GDP contributed by agriculture as well as the proportion of the population working in the sector declines considerably.
• In India, between 1950 and 1990, the proportion of GDP contributed by agriculture declined significantly from more than 50% in 1950 to 34% in 1990. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• On the negative side, some 65% of the country’s population continued to be employed in agriculture even as late as 1990.
• The population depending on agriculture declined slightly from 67.5 per cent in 1950 to 64.9 per cent by 1990. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.