India has committed to double the farmers income by 2022. What lessons can India take from china which has undertaken a similar initiative?

China started a similar initiative of doubling farmer’s income in 2008 and had planned to meet the target by 2020. China’s strategy to meet the target incorporated

• Creating new avenues for income through agriculture and allied activities.
• Shifting of the surplus workforce to medium and large cities and building a integrated labour market.
• Stable grain generation.
• Building and strengthening of farmer cooperatives.
• Creating a new social service system for agriculture for the supply of inputs through finance, insurance and extension by non-governmental organisations, and public and large private agencies.
• Subsidies for grain production and farm inputs, a minimum grain procurement price, reform of agricultural laws and regulations, and opening the agricultural sector to the world.
• Expanding agribusinesses, food quality and safety, agricultural science and technology.

China’s strategy gave due importance for strengthening of the forward and backward linkages to strengthen the agriculture sector. Almost all the components are applicable for India in addressing the various problems of Indian agricultural sector like under employment, lack of investments, lack of technological interventions etc.
India needs to undertake its mission of doubling of farmer’s income by 2022 under the broader aspect of strengthening the rural economy. This would pave for sustainable and inclusive governance.