Six Puzzles in Indian Agriculture

Shoumitro Chatterjee and Devesh Kapur

India Policy Forum, 2017, vol. 13, issue 1, 185-229

Abstract: A quarter century after India’s historic shift to a more market-oriented economy, the agriculture sector continues to be racked by severe policy distortions, despite its importance for the livelihoods of the majority of India’s population and in addressing major long-term challenges facing the country, from food security to natural resource sustainability. The paper highlights some key empirical realities and data anomalies to raise some fundamental questions about Indian agriculture and anchors the analysis in six major puzzles: prices, procurement, political economy, trade, productivity, and exit. While the list is neither exhaustive nor original in and of itself, these puzzles raise important policy issues. We conclude by arguing that more unified frameworks of analysis are needed for effective policy in a much neglected but crucial sector for securing India’s future.

Keywords: Agriculture; Market Imperfection; International Trade; Agriculture and Environment; India; Land Ownership; Political Processes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D43 D45 O1 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nca:ncaerj:v:13:y:2017:i:2017-1:p:185-229

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