Prof. Ramesh Chand Outlines Future of Indian Agriculture at ICC’s Krishi Vikram Event
09 July 2025, New Delhi: A focused vision for Indian agriculture was shared during a fireside chat with Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog, at the Krishi Vikram: Transforming Agriculture for a Secure Future of Viksit Bharatevent. Organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the session highlighted the role of agriculture in India’s development goals for 2047.
In conversation with Mr. Rahul Rishi, Partner and Consulting GPS Leader at Ernst & Young (EY), Prof. Chand presented agriculture as a key sector for employment generation, modernisation, and sustainability.
“Agriculture will play a much more important role in employment than growth as India moves towards Viksit Bharat,” Prof. Chand said, urging a shift in how agriculture is viewed. He called for agriculture to be seen not just as farming, but as part of a wider agri-food system that can support economic and environmental goals.
Prof. Chand pointed to a recent rise in agricultural employment, with the sector’s share increasing from 43% in 2011–12 to 46%, mainly due to increased participation of rural women. “This is not just a demographic trend—it reflects a growing entry of women into the rural workforce. This shift must be supported,” he added.
He stressed the need for large-scale skilling and reskilling of 15 to 18 crore workers, especially as the sector evolves towards technology-based roles such as drone operators, agronomists, and precision farming professionals.
Prof. Chand also called for greater diversification into horticulture, livestock, and fisheries. “The per-hectare productivity of fruits and vegetables is six times that of field crops. This potential must be used to raise farm incomes and improve overall growth,” he said.
On growth, he noted that agriculture had recorded a national growth rate of 4.6%, with some states achieving over 7%. “To support India’s overall 8% growth target, agriculture needs to maintain around 5% growth consistently,” he said.
Addressing capital investment, Prof. Chand pointed out that while farmers contribute 85% of agricultural investment, corporate participation remains at 0.2%. “We need greater private and institutional investment to modernize agriculture,” he stated.
He also recommended rationalizing the GST on food products to boost domestic demand and encourage growth in food processing, logistics, and related industries.
Prof. Chand acknowledged ICC for highlighting agriculture in its 100th year. “It is encouraging to see agriculture given this importance. It shows a clear recognition of the sector’s role in India’s future,” he said.
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