Agriculture is a way of life, a tradition, which, for centuries, has shaped the thought, outlook, culture, and the economic life of the people of India. India has come a long way, from a net importer of food grains to becoming the largest producer of fruits and the second largest producer of vegetables. Today, India produces 21 percent of world's paddy and is the second largest producer of paddy in the world. It is now producing enough to export to other countries.

Agriculture continues play a vital role in the country's economic development because it occupies a central place in the national economy. The share of agriculture as a percentage of GDP is about 25 percent of GDP and employs 60 percent of the workforce. It has made a lot of progress in terms of growth in output, yields and area under many crops. Today, India is the largest producer of milk, fruits, cashew nuts, coconuts, and tea in the world. It is the second largest producer of wheat, vegetables, sugar and fish. And, the third largest producer of tobacco and rice. The per capita availability of food grains has risen from 350 gm in 1951 to about 500 gm per day now despite the increase in population from 350 mn to 1000 mn now. It has attained self-sufficiency in food. It is now exporting rice and wheat to other countries. India can now feed itself, thanks to the Green Revolution and investment in irrigation, roads and other sorts of rural infrastructure. The progress of Indian agriculture since independence is in many ways impressive. The output of food-grains, which stood at around 50 mt in the early fifties, has risen to 208 mt at the turn of the century. This is a four-fold increase as compared with an increase in population of 2.5 times. It has contributed significantly in the achievement of self-sufficiency in food and in the prevention of food shortages. Rapid growth of agriculture is essential not only to achieve self-reliance but also for household food security and to bring about equity in distribution of income and wealth resulting in rapid reduction in poverty levels.

Agricultural reforms, Gross domestic products, GDP, Green Revolution, rural infrastructure, Indian agriculture , national economy, Indian agricultural sector, Indian technology, private sector investment, world tradae organisation, WTO, Socio-Economic fields, Agricultural mechanization.