Assertion: Due to low productivity in the agricultural sector, India was forced to import food from the erstwhile Soviet Union.

Reasoning: at the time of independence, low productivity in the agricultural sector was due to the land tenure system was characterized by intermediaries, commonly known as zamindars or jagirdars.

Assertion (A) is not true but Reasoning (R) is correct.

During the time of India's independence, the land tenure system was characterized by intermediaries, commonly known as zamindars or jagirdars, who simply collected rent from the actual cultivators without contributing to any improvements on the farmland. This resulted in low productivity in the agricultural sector, forcing India to import food from the United States of America (USA). To achieve equity in agriculture, land reforms were deemed necessary, primarily focusing on changing the ownership structure of landholdings.