GREEN REVOLUTION
THE COUNTRY, IN WHICH 4 MILLION PEOPLES DIED IN A YEAR DUE TO
DEFICIENCY OF FOOD, IS NOW ONE OF EXPORTER OF IT!
Father of GREEN
REVOLUTION = N.E. Borlaug
Father of GREEN
REVOLUTION in India= M.S. Swaminathan
Started
in 1960 that led to an increase in food grain
production, especially in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Major
milestones were the development of high-yielding varieties of wheat, which were fertilizer responsive, lodging resistance and rust resistant strains of wheat.
The
agricultural food production in India has increased from merely 50.82 million
tonnes in 1950-1951 to 230.67 million tonnes in 2007-08. This represents an
increase of over 350% during a period of 57 years. As a result the nation
becomes almost self-sufficient in food grains. The above increase in yield
resulted from increased quantum and better management of inputs, such as
fertilizers, irrigation water, plant protection and cultural practices from improved crop varieties.
Semi dwarf Wheat and Rice
One of
the most important developments of modern agriculture has been the production
of semi dwarf cereal varieties, particularly of wheat and rice. The semi dwarf
wheat varieties were developed by N.E.
Borlaug and his associates at CYMMIT (International Centre for Wheat and
Maize Improvement), Mexico. They used a Japanese variety Norin 10 as the source of dwarfing genes. In 1963, ICAR introduced
several semi dwarf selections from CIMMYT, and Kalyan Sona & Sonalika
were selected from these materials. For more than one decade, these varieties
were the most popular wheat varieties in India. A great majority of the wheat
varieties now grown in the country are semi dwarf. The semi dwarf wheat
varieties are lodging resistant,
fertilizer responsive and high yielding. They are generally resistant to
rusts and other major diseases of wheat due to the incorporation of resistance
genes in to their genotypes. These wheat varieties have, as a result, greatly
increased and stabilized wheat production in the country.
Similarly, the development of semi dwarf rice varieties has
revolutionized rice cultivation. These varieties were derived from Dee-geo-woo-gen, a dwarf, early
maturing variety of Japonica rice from Taiwan. TN1 developed in Taiwan and IR8,
developed at IRRI (International Rice Research Institute), Philippines, were
introduced in India in 1966. They were grown for few years, but were later
replaced by superior semi dwarf varieties developed in India e.g., Jaya, Ratna,
etc. The semi dwarf rice varieties are lodging
resistant, fertilizer responsive, high yielding and photoinsensitive.
Photoinsensitivity has allowed rice cultivation in non-traditional areas like
Punjab. Even in traditional areas, rice wheat rotation has become possible only
due to these varieties.
Features of the Green Revolution
· The introduction
of the HYV (high
yielding varieties) seeds for the first time
in Indian agriculture.
· One
basic requirement for the HYV seeds is proper irrigation. Crops from HYV seeds need alternating
amounts of water supply during its growth. So the farms cannot depend on
monsoons.
· The emphasis of
the plan was mostly on food grains such as wheat and rice. Cash crops
and commercial crops like cotton, jute, oil seeds etc were not a part of the
plan
· Increased
availability and use of fertilizers to
enhance the productivity of the farms
· Use
of pesticides and weedicides to
reduce any loss or damage to the crops
· And
finally the introduction of technology
and machinery like tractors, harvesters, drills etc. This helped
immensely to promote commercial farming in the country.
Impact of the Green Revolution
· Increase in Agricultural Production: Food grains in India
saw a great rise in output. It was a remarkable increase. The production of
wheat increased to 55 million tonnes in 1990 from just 11 million tonnes in
1960.
· Increase in per Acre Yield: Not only did the
Green Revolution increase the total agricultural output, it also increased the
per hectare yield. In case of wheat, the per hectare yield increased from 850
kg/hectare to an incredible 2281 kg/hectare by 1990.
· Less Dependence on Imports: After the green
revolution, India was finally on its way to self-sufficiency. There was now
enough production for the population and to build a stock in case of
emergencies. We did not need to import grains or depend on other countries for
our food supply. In fact, India was able to start exporting its agricultural
produce.
·
Employment: It was feared that commercial
farming would leave a lot of the labour force jobless. But on the other hand,
we saw a rise in rural employment. This is because the supporting industries
created employment opportunities. Irrigation, transportation, food processing,
marketing all created new jobs for the workforce.
· A Benefit to the Farmers: The Green
Revolution majorly benefited the farmers. Their income saw a significant raise.
Not only were they surviving, they were prospering. It enabled them to shift to
commercial farming from only sustenance farming.
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