How Policy and Perception Shifted India from Agricultural Exporter to Importer

India was once known as the "Sone Ki Chidiya" (Golden Bird) — a land of wealth, self-sufficiency, and rich cultural heritage. It attracted invaders and colonizers not because of poverty, but because of its thriving economy, vibrant knowledge systems, and flourishing agriculture. Ironically, post-independence policies, while aimed at development and equity, have slowly pushed India from being an agriculture exporter to a dependent importer in many sectors. How did this transformation happen?

 

1. Freebies vs Productivity: A Double-Edged Sword

In post-Independence, India’s governments — both at the Centre and in states — have increasingly relied on populist "freebie" policies to win elections:

I. Free ration, free electricity, free housing, and even pensions for able-bodied individuals.

II. These benefits, while addressing poverty, have also reduced the incentive to work, especially in rural areas.

III. Labour shortage is now a growing concern, not due to migration or lack of jobs, but because many prefer government doles over hard labour in farms or factories.

This over-dependence on welfare has reduced workforce participation in agriculture, impacting both production and productivity.

While these schemes address poverty and inequality, they have also created unintended consequences:

I. Decreased labour force participation, especially in agriculture,

II. Rising preference for passive income over hard rural labour,

III. Agricultural labour shortages in many states despite rising rural populations.

Sources:
· Ministry of Rural Development Reports (2019–2023)
· NITI Aayog Labour Force Participation Survey (2021)

2. Misplaced Aspirations: The Brainwashed Education Policy

Education Policies Undermining Indigenous Knowledge, education reforms and while expanding access, created a system that:

I. Glorified foreign degrees and English-medium urban jobs.

II. Undermined indigenous knowledge — including our own agricultural traditions, natural medicine, and rural livelihoods.

This mindset made many believe that Western education and methods were superior, forgetting that:

I. The British came to exploit, not uplift.

II. India had universities like Takshashila and Nalanda centuries before Oxford existed.

III. Indigenous farming, medicine (Ayurveda), and architecture (Vaastu) were advanced and sustainable.

Sources:
· NEP 2020 Commentary, Ministry of Education
· UNESCO Education Reports, South Asia (2022)

3. Chemical Farming and the Great Betrayal of the Soil

The Green Revolution, though initially successful in avoiding famine, brought with it:

I. Heavy use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and water-intensive practices.

II. Short-term gains, but long-term harm — soil degradation, water table depletion, and biodiversity loss.

III. Many lands have now turned barren, losing their natural fertility due to decades of overuse of chemicals.

Now, educated and aware farmers are slowly returning to organic and natural farming, realizing the cost of the chemical path sold as "modern agriculture".

Today, over 30% of India’s agricultural land is degraded, and farmer suicides have been linked to input cost burdens.

Sources:
· ICAR Soil Health Surveys (2018, 2021)
· NCRB Farmer Suicide Data (2022)

4. From Self-Sufficient to Import Dependent

Despite its agricultural potential, India now:

I. Imports edible oil, pulses, and even onions and tomatoes during shortages.

II. This isn’t just due to climate or demand, but because of policy failure, poor planning, and neglect of crop diversification.

Our ancestors could grow everything the land needed — but today, our policies reward consumption, not production.

India’s food security paradox lies in overproduction of some crops (like wheat and rice) and underproduction of others.

Sources:
· Ministry of Agriculture Annual Reports
· FCI Procurement Data (2020–2023)

5. The Path Forward: Reclaiming the Golden Legacy

To reverse this trend, India must:

I. Shift from short-term populism to long-term sustainability.

II. Empower farmers producer organizations (FPOs), not just feed voters.

III. Promote traditional knowledge, organic farming, and vocational education that respects rural wisdom.

IV. Ensure welfare schemes are supportive, not addictive — enabling people to work, not withdraw from the workforce.

Sources:
V. FAO India Country Profiles
VI. Ministry of Skill Development (2022)

6. Rising Import Dependency: Vegetable Oil as a Case Study

In FY 2023, 

I. India imported $37 billion worth of agricultural and related products — a 51% increase from FY 2019. This growth of $12.5 billion makes India the eighth-largest agricultural importer globally. While this is relatively modest compared to its population size (China imported $262.7 billion the same year),

II.  India now ranks behind countries like Canada and South Korea in total agricultural imports.

III. India is now the 8th largest agricultural importer globally

Much of this surge is driven by vegetable oil, India’s top imported agricultural product:

I. Vegetable oil imports nearly doubled in five years, growing by $9 billion to reach $18.4 billion in FY 2023.

II. Palm oil leads the list, comprising over half of total vegetable oil imports at $9.9 billion.

III. Soybean oil is the second most imported, at $4.8 billion — over 25% of total vegetable oil imports.

IV. While the U.S. has occasionally supplied soybean oil (notably in FY 2022), India relies more heavily on Argentina and Brazil, due to market competitiveness and availability of substitutes like sunflower and palm oil.

This rising import bill reflects not only consumer demand but also India’s underinvestment in oilseed self-sufficiency, showing a major gap between potential and reality.

Sources:
· USDA Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS), 2024
· Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), India

7. Land Sale Temptation: Farming Replaced by Unrealistic Investment Dreams

In many parts of India, especially near expanding urban areas, sudden spikes in land prices have led to a wave of farmers selling their farmland to real estate developers and investors:

I. Many believe that selling land and investing the proceeds is easier and more profitable than farming.

II. However, without financial literacy or stable sources of income, this often leads to long-term financial insecurity.

III. The land once lost to speculation and construction rarely returns to agriculture, causing a permanent reduction in cultivable land.

This shift is weakening India’s agricultural base — not just due to poor returns from farming, but due to misplaced beliefs about quick wealth from land sales.

Sources:
· National Land Records Modernization Programme (2022)
· Agricultural Census of India (2021)

 Question to Reflect On:

1. Isn't it time India stops imitating foreign models and begins to reclaim its indigenous systems — in farming, education, and economy —to once again become the Golden Bird, not by handouts but by hands that create??

2. Have we forgotten the value of self-sufficiency, a principle that once made India the envy of the world?

3. Can a nation thrive when its workforce is disengaged, relying more on subsidies than on skill, effort, and innovation?

4. Are we truly empowering our farmers, or merely pacifying them with short-term aid while neglecting long-term reforms?

5. Should rising land prices dictate the end of agricultural life, or can land be seen as a legacy — not just a commodity?

6. What are we teaching our youth — to build or to buy, to create or to consume?

7. Will India continue to be dependent on agricultural imports, or will it rise again as a nation that feeds not just itself but the world?