Question

“Indian agriculture is said to be a gambling with monsoon winds”. Why?

Answer 1

Hint-
Agriculture is not the only sector that is influenced by the performance of Monsoon. In fact, as many as a dozen sectors depend on Monsoon, either in a direct or an indirect way. The agricultural output of rain-fed crop areas in India generally has a social, political, and economic impact in the country.

Complete answer:
The economy of India is majorly dependent on the agriculture as well as the livelihood of the Indian farmer also largely depends on the Monsoon rains. Southwest Monsoon in India refers to a four-month-long affair starting from the month of June till September. Above 75 percent of India’s annual rainfall generally occurs during this period only. The fate of the Kharif crops is highly dependent on the performance of the Southwest Monsoon. Weak Monsoon rains generally result in crop failure only, which again affects the economy in a negative way because of the lower production. Afterwards, the same translates into price-rise, low industrial output, and several other issues. Plus,in case if the poor Monsoon also results in low crop output, the country might even need to import. The importance of monsoon season in India is as the Indian agriculture, river systems, water stock, flora and fauna indicate that all depend on the monsoon season in India.

Note-
Above anything else, the failure of Monsoon also has a huge impact over the life of an Indian farmer. Most of the Indian farmers usually rely on good crop produce during Monsoon in order to earn their living and to overcome debts incurred. Crop failure and/or deficient rainfall is the very major reason for mass farmer suicides that occur all over the country. This further cements the importance of Monsoon in the economy of India.