Question

“To promote green revolution, the Indian Government provided fertilizer subsidies to the farmers.”

Briefly explain any two arguments in favour of such subsidies.

Answer 1

At the beginning of the Green Revolution, around 1966, HYV seeds, irrigation, and chemical fertilizers were used.

The two key arguments in favour of such subsidies are:

• Around 86% of farmers in India were small and marginal, and fertilizer aid enabled them to buy fertilizer.
• Equity will be violated, and the gap between wealthy and poor farmers will widen if subsidies are eliminated.