EAC-PM Chief Mahendra Dev: Non-Farm Jobs to Fix Agriculture
Why in the news
On 8 July 2026, EAC-PM Chairman Prof. S. Mahendra Dev told the Institute of Economic Growth that more rural non-farm jobs can solve India’s farm problem.
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Share of GDP | About 17% |
| Share of workforce | About 43% |
| Growth in last decade | 4.5% a year |
| Small and marginal farmers | 86% |
Recommendations
- Structural shift: move extra farm labour into rural industry, MSMEs and services.
- Income focus: prefer farmer earnings over output; push horticulture, livestock, fisheries, agro-processing, marketing.
- Diversify away from rice and wheat towards pulses, oilseeds and millets.
- Institutions: FPOs, cooperatives, aggregation platforms.
- Technology: AgriStack, AI, drones, biotech, satellites, gene editing.
- Exports: stable, predictable policy.
About EAC-PM
- Economic Advisory Council to the PM, in its present form since 26 September 2017; non-constitutional, non-statutory, advice not binding.
- Chairman Mahendra Dev has served since 5 June 2025.