Introduction

The chapters in this book address agricultural issues in the ten major agricultural states of India. By definition, these are the states in which the agricultural contribution to state income exceeded 50 percent in 1960. These states are: Andhra Pradesh (A.P.), Bihar, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh (M.P.), Orissa, Punjab, ¹ Tamil Nadu (T.N.) and Uttar Pradesh (U.P.). Although the importance of agriculture in state income ranges from a high 68.9 percent in Orissa to a low 52.0 percent in T.N., all states share problems and benefits of agricultural policies and innovations. However, it is essential not to overlook the diversity. The area covered by these states spans the entire Indian subcontinent and therefore geographic variations have lead to different agricultural practices and patterns of cultivation. Furthermore, the historical experiences of these states were by no means the same, resulting in dissimilar agrarian, economic and institutional structures. Lastly, due to their differing ethnic and religious composition, factors such as caste determinism in employment, taboos on work, migratory practices, etc., may play greater or lesser roles.