The Green Revolution, a significant agricultural transformation, propelled India towards self-sufficiency in food production during the 1960s and 1970s. However, despite fertile soil and ample water resources, the eastern region of India was largely left untouched by this phenomenon. Several factors contributed to this discrepancy. Firstly, the Green Revolution primarily focused on crops like wheat and rice, which were not traditionally grown in the eastern states. Secondly, the agrarian structure in the east, dominated by small and fragmented landholdings, posed challenges for the adoption of modern agricultural practices. Additionally, the lack of adequate infrastructure, including irrigation facilities and transportation networks, hindered the dissemination of Green Revolution technologies in these regions. Moreover, socio-economic disparities and political factors also played a role in diverting resources away from the eastern states. Consequently, despite its agricultural potential, the eastern region of India remained largely unaffected by the transformative impacts of the Green Revolution.
Tag: Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
Decoding the Question:
- In Introduction, try to briefly write about how and why the Green Revolution came into force.
- In Body, discuss significant reasons why it virtually by-passes the eastern region despite fertile soil and good availability of water.
- Conclude the answer by discussing pros and cons of Green Revolution
Answer:
Barring a few pockets, the green revolution virtually bypassed the eastern region of the country despite the fact that it has fertile soil and plenty of water. There were several reasons for the same. Firstly, this region was bypassed due to institutional factors. It has been established that the best performing areas in the Green Revolution were under the Mahalwari region in Punjab. Although the Zamindari system was abolished, its influence remained in the eastern parts of India.
The Green Revolution based on the use of package technology of Indian agriculture. But this too led to the concentration of development in few selected areas for the following reasons:
- It included both institutional and technical reforms which required both finance and skilled labour.
- Inputs were expensive. Thus, it required rich farmers while it was mostly available in Northern India, not Eastern India.
- Use of high yielding variety (HYV) seeds especially for wheat and rice was one of the key developments. The use of these seeds required the use of fertilizer and pesticide in the correct quantities as well as regular supply of water. Water was available near the Punjab region as it is fed by Indus and its tributaries. To buy ample amounts of fertilizer and pesticides farmers must be financially strong which was available in Northern India.
- The introduction of machinery such as tillers, tractors, threshers, and harvesters (in areas such as Punjab and parts of Madhya Pradesh) required finance too, which came from rich farmers.
Did the Green Revolution totally bypass Eastern India? It is not true that the Green Revolution did not reach at all to eastern India. Over a period, it has spread to large parts of the nation and has brought prosperity. On this basis, there are three distinct phases of the Green Revolution:
- First is 1962-65 to 1970-73, when there was a sharp increase in yields of wheat in the north-western region of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Generally we refer to this stage only as the Green Revolution.
- The second phase was from 1970-73 to 1980-83 when rice yield started responding to the HYV seed technology and the Green Revolution spread to other parts of the country notably Eastern UP, Coastal Andhra, some parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh etc.
- The third phase of the green revolution spread to the erstwhile low-growth areas of the eastern region of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Odisha during 1980–83 to 1992–95. During this phase, the southern region registered a higher growth of rate than the north-western region.
The third phase contributed little in reducing the regional inequalities but then, the euphoria of green revolution lasted only till that time. After that the growth levels and yield per hectare came down in comparison to earlier decades.
The Green Revolution enabled the government to procure enough food grains to build a stock that could be used in times of food shortage. The success of the green revolution in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Rajasthan has also been a significant factor in the growth of rabi crops. However, while the nation had immensely benefited from the green revolution, the technology was not free from risks. Disparities between small and big farmers, land degradation, and excess usage of chemicals were most relevant.
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