Country agriculture profile · South Asia
India
India is one of the world’s largest agricultural producers and a country where farming remains central to the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of smallholders. It ranks among the top global producers of rice, wheat, cotton, sugarcane, pulses, and milk, and it supports the world’s largest herd of dairy cattle and water buffalo. Production is shaped overwhelmingly by the southwest monsoon, with the Green Revolution since the 1960s making the irrigated northwest and Indo-Gangetic Plain the grain heartland.
Farming systems (stable overview)
Climate zones
- Tropical monsoon (dominant)
- Arid and semi-arid (northwest and Deccan)
- Humid subtropical (Indo-Gangetic Plain)
- Tropical wet (northeast and Western Ghats coast)
- Alpine and highland (Himalaya)
Agroecological zones
- Indo-Gangetic Plain (rice-wheat systems)
- Semi-arid Deccan Plateau (rainfed cereals, cotton, and pulses)
- Eastern rice belt
- Irrigated northwest (Punjab-Haryana)
Dominant crop systems
- Irrigated rice-wheat rotation across the Indo-Gangetic Plain
- Rainfed and irrigated cotton, pulses (chickpea), oilseeds, and millets on the Deccan and central plateau
- Sugarcane in irrigated northern and western tracts
- Diverse horticulture across kharif (monsoon) and rabi (winter) seasons
Major livestock systems
- The world’s largest smallholder dairy sector, built on cattle and water buffalo (the White Revolution / Operation Flood)
- Large goat and sheep flocks for meat and fiber
- Rapidly expanding commercial poultry, with draft animals still significant
Irrigation: India operates one of the world’s largest irrigated areas, drawing heavily on groundwater tube wells and canal networks, with acute concerns over aquifer depletion in the northwest.
Latest verified data
Each value is the most recent available observation, shown with its own year and unit. Figures are periodically revised — treat them as dated, sourced statistics, not evergreen facts.
| Indicator | Value | Unit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural land | 60.06 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Arable land | 51.75 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Cereal yield | 3,632.5 | kg per hectare | 2024 |
| Cereal production | 391,123,857.84 | metric tons | 2024 |
| Food production index | 127.82 | index (2014–2016 = 100) | 2022 |
| Livestock production index | 132.52 | index (2014–2016 = 100) | 2022 |
| Employment in agriculture(est.) | 42.35 | % of total employment | 2024 |
| Irrigated agricultural land | 44.41 | % of agricultural land | 2023 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Cereal yield over time
Show data table
| Year | kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 2,969.9 |
| 2014 | 2,990.6 |
| 2015 | 2,852.4 |
| 2016 | 3,012.9 |
| 2017 | 3,127.6 |
| 2018 | 3,301.1 |
| 2019 | 3,394.1 |
| 2020 | 3,391 |
| 2021 | 3,527.9 |
| 2022 | 3,564 |
| 2023 | 3,602 |
| 2024 | 3,632.5 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Derived indicator
Arable land as a share of agricultural land: 86.2 % of agricultural land (2023)
Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (51.8) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (60.1). A derived ratio, not an observed statistic. Sensitive to rounding and to differing revision cycles of the two source series; omit rather than extrapolate when a common year is unavailable.
Documented crops & livestock
Agricultural institutions
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) — Apex national body coordinating agricultural research, education, and the crop-institute and state-university network.
- Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare — Central government ministry responsible for agricultural policy, extension, and farmer support programs.
Data coverage & limitations
Covered by the World Bank WDI snapshots for land, production, yield, economy, inputs, and environment indicators.
- Statistics are dated, versioned, and periodically revised; single-year figures should not be read as a fixed baseline.
- National definitions of agricultural land, holdings, crop years, and commodities differ from those used by other countries, limiting direct comparison.
- Output is highly monsoon-dependent, producing large year-to-year swings that national aggregates smooth over.
- National figures mask extreme diversity across states and agroecological zones, and groundwater-based irrigation raises long-term sustainability concerns.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- Authoritative
Cited for: Agricultural statistics (WDI)
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [2]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Cited for: Production, land-use, and commodity context
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [3]ICAR — national agricultural research system of India (opens in a new tab)High
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
Cited for: National crop systems and research context
- Type:
- Research institute
- Jurisdiction:
- India
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12