The Indian Government has announced a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector over the past twenty years despite a remarkable increase in food production. The reduction in emissions is particularly significant given the concurrent rise in the country’s agricultural output.
Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture have steadily decreased from 23 percent of total emissions in 2000 to 18 percent in 2010 and further down to 13.44 percent in 2019. During this same period, India's food production experienced a dramatic surge, with output rising by more than 64 percent. In 2000, India's total food production was approximately 200 million metric tonnes (MMT), which increased to 329 MMT by 2023.
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Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh, highlighted these achievements while presenting data from the Third National Communication (TNC) report submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2023. According to the report, emissions from the agricultural sector in 2019 amounted to 420.97 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
In 2019, food grains such as rice, wheat, pulses, and coarse cereals were grown across 65 percent of the total harvested area in India. The greenhouse gas emissions from these crops are predominantly methane emissions from rice cultivation and nitrous oxide from the use of fertilisers.
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This progress underscores India's commitment to reducing its carbon footprint while enhancing food security and agricultural productivity. The Government’s efforts demonstrate a successful balance between environmental sustainability and food production, setting a positive example for other nations facing similar challenges.
