Identify the correct points about the aim to increase food grains immediately after Independence:

(A) Promote exports of foodgrains
(B) Shift from cash crops to food crops
(C) Intensify cropping over already cultivated land
(D) Increasing cultivable area by bringing cultivable fallow land under plough

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

(B), (C), (D) only

Indian agricultural economy was largely subsistence in nature before Independence. It had dismal performance in the first half of twentieth century. This period witnessed severe droughts and famines. During partition about one-third of the irrigated land in undivided India went to Pakistan. This reduced the proportion of irrigated area in Independent India.

After Independence, the immediate goal of the Government was to increase foodgrains production by (i) switching over from cash crops to food crops (B); (ii) intensification of cropping over already cultivated land (C); and (iii) increasing cultivated area by bringing cultivable and fallow land under plough (D). Initially, this strategy helped in increasing foodgrains production. But agricultural production stagnated during late –1950s. To overcome this problem, Intensive Agricultural District Programme (IADP) and Intensive Agricultural Area Programme (IAAP) were launched. But two consecutive droughts during mid-1960s resulted in food crisis in the country. Consequently, foodgrains were imported from other countries.