ABSTRACT
Agricultural productivity plays vital and multiple roles in ensuring national security. The foremost role is to maintain food security and eliminate hunger and malnutrition. Agricultural productivity also plays other important roles like increase in income of farmers, improved availability of raw material for agro based industry, and earning of foreign exchange. The required growth rate to meet domestic food demand in India is slightly lower than the growth rate achieved in the last 15 years or so. However, the choices and options to raise production are getting narrowed. Area available for cultivation is likely to shrink due to diversion of arable land for housing, urbanisation, infrastructure, industrialisation, amenities and spread of tertiary sector.
