The active interventionist policy regime in the early phase of the post Independence period by way of higher planned investment in agriculture research and extension institutional credit input subsidies and support prices etc. has introduced some dynamism in Indian Agriculture and put it on a higher growth path. The two rounds of land reforms though not completed have helped to some extent in reducing landlordism and stagnation. The contribution of Green Revolution was significant though it led to inequalities and capitalist development in agriculture.
But even before the gains of these initiatives were consolidated the governments at the Centre and the Sates have adopted a paradigmatic shift in policies. The economic reforms initiated in 1991 in the wake of globalisation and largely inspired and guided by the World Bank and the WTO and the policies of state withdrawal and neglect perused since then resulted in stagnation and unprecedented crisis in agriculture leading to suicides of more than a lakh of small and semi medium peasants.
Dr. Punnaiah through his analysis in this book has brought out the trends in public investment in agriculture during 1951-2001 and showed how the public and private investment and Gross Capital Formation have declined significantly in the post reform period and how this has adversely affected the net sown area, net area irrigated yields food grains production and availability. This book will surely be useful in understanding the processes of policies and their impact on agriculture.
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