Despite decades of policy interventions, a majority of Indian farmers have not seen their incomes rise. Farmers with small or marginal holdings, who make up around two-thirds of all farmers, find themselves prey to indebtedness, a lack of choice in inputs, and underdeveloped warehousing and processing facilities.
Many policies that previous Governments have framed ostensibly to protect farmers, have added to the distress in the sector by granting farmers little or no control over anything in agriculture.