From a nation dependent on food imports to feed its population, India today is not only self sufficient in grain production, but also has a substantial reserve. The progress made by agriculture in the last four decades has been one of the biggest success stories of free India.
Agriculture is the means of livelihood of about two-thirds of the work force in the country.
This increase in agricultural production has been brought about by bringing additional area under cultivation, extension of irrigation facilities, the use of improved high yielding variety of seeds, better techniques evolved through agricultural research, water management, and plant protection through judicious use of fertilisers, pesticides and cropping practices. The 1970s saw a multi-fold increase in wheat production that heralded the Green Revolution. To carry improved technologies to farmers, a National Pulse Development Programme, covering 13 states, was launched in 1986. Efforts to boost pulse production were augmented further by the Special Food Production Programme. In 1995-96, pulse production was 13.2 million tonnes.