Factors Determining Cropping Pattern In India
Dualism in the Labour Market
Because of the excessive pressure of population on land, wages. in the agricultural sector tend to be considerably lower as compared to the modern (industrial) sector. This leads to a labour market dualism. This dualism is explained by the fact that a large number of workers remain to stick to traditional agriculture despite low wages either due to ignorance of better opportunities outside agriculture, or due to their inability to obtain a modern sector job despite wishing to do so, or due to the cost of moving being unacceptably high in relation to the expected wage premium. Low wages in the agricultural sector leading to low per capita income and this, in turn, results in low labour productivity.
Outmoded Farming Techniques
Most of the Indian farmers continue to use outmoded farming techniques. Traditional agriculture depends on biological sources of energy (human and animal labour), rains and dung manure. Returns to farmers under this technique of production are very meagre and the nature of farming is appropriately described as ‘subsistence farming’. However, with the advent of the new agricultural strategy in 1966, modern techniques of production were initiated in certain selected regions of the country like Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh. As a consequence of the adoption of modern techniques of production and new high-yielding varieties of seeds, agricultural productivity registered substantial increases in these areas. However, since large areas of the country continue to use outmoded agricultural techniques, a sort of technological dualism has emerged in the country.
Unstable and Fluctuating Agricultural Output
Indian agriculture has rightly been called a ‘gamble in monsoons’. Only 17.4 per cent of the gross cropped area had irrigation facilities in 195051. In 2007-2008, 44.6 per cent of the gross cropped area had irrigation facilities. This shows that even now as much as 56 per cent of the gross cropped area continues to depend on rainfall. In 1992-93, 35.6 per cent of the gross cropped area had continuous to depend on rainfall. Therefore, nature continues to play a major role in determining the level of agricultural production.se
Diverse Agricultural Sector
India is a large country having substantial agricultural diversities. Different regions exhibit entirely different characteristics so that no one plan can be conceived for all agricultural regions of the country. The nature of the soil, the magnitude of rainfall, availability of water etc. differ considerably between different regions. While Western Rajasthan and a part of the Thar desert have a very uncertain rainfall of 4 to 5 inches a year, Cherrapunji in Assam has an annual rainfall of more than 450 inches. While considerable areas face drought conditions in a particular year, some areas encounter the fury of floods. Some areas face the problems of waterlogging and salinity. Practically the entire cultivated area of the country suffers from a deficiency of nitrogen. Elements of phosphates and potash also differ significantly in different areas. There are substantial regional inequalities also in regard to sub-division and Tragmentauon of holdings.
Natural Factors
These pertain to the physical characteristics and natural endowments of a region and are the most important factors determining its crop pattern. Nature of soil, type of climate, the extent of rainfall, etc., will determine the basic crop pattern of a region over a period of time.
Economic Factors
These pertain to prices of agricultural commodities, incomes of farmers, size of holdings, availability of agricultural inputs, nature of land tenure, etc.
Historical Factors
In certain areas, certain crops are grown by sheer accident or necessity and then that cropping pattern is maintained through years. The historical pattern of land tenure also plays its role. If the land is divided into a number of small plots with ownership vested in numerous small and marginal farmers (as under ryotwari), the tendency will be to grow food crops. As against this if ownership of land is vested in large landowners (as under zamindari) the tendency will be to produce more cash crops.
Social Factors
Social environment, customs, traditions, outlook towards material things, etc., also influence crop-pattern to some extent. For example, in the pre-Independence period, the outlook of a majority of farmers was very narrow and they were bound by traditions. Therefore, the same crop-pattern was continued to be adopted by successive generations.
Government policy
Policies of the government relating to different crops, exports, taxes, subsidies, supplies’ of inputs, availability of credit, etc., can affect the cropping pattern in a te significant way. Policies of expansion of irrigation facilities, determination of agricultural prices like procurement prices, support prices and a host of other policies have all contributed to changing crop-pattern, Adoption of high-yielding varieties of seeds in selected areas of the country with a package of inputs and incentives has contributed crucially in encouraging the farmers of some regions to switch over to wheat.
Check out the notes of New National Agricultural Policy.