India has made significant advancements towards achieving food security in the years since gaining its independence. Although the country's population has tripled, food grain output has more than quadrupled, leading to a significant rise in the amount of food grain that is accessible per person.

Although more can be done. The agricultural yields in India are still only between 30 and 60 percent of the best sustainable crop yields possible in the fields of rich and other emerging nations. Additionally, India has one of the highest rates of post-harvest food loss in the world due to poor infrastructure and unregulated retail.It is evidently time for change. We not only need to address concerns and challenges that have been around for a while, but we also need to tackle fresh realities. The land and water—two natural resources—on which agriculture is dependent are becoming degraded, and there is increasing competition for their utilisation. Agriculture is already becoming more dangerous due to climate change, and this effect will only get worse in the future.

The public-private partnership approach, however, might be just what India's agriculture industry needs to completely transform. PPPs have the potential to significantly alter the agricultural industry on many levels by using the combined power of all stakeholders.

Here are three methods PPPs could accomplish that:

1. Spending money on value chains that are more intelligent

One of the newest industries in Indian agriculture, food processing, may benefit from PPPs as it develops. Beyond extending food's shelf life, preserving food nutrients, and offering fortified goods, the food processing business must do more. Instead, with the help of public and private investments, it could also consider offering farm extension services, improving price realization, eliminating middlemen, and enhancing the supply chain through forward and backward linkages. In addition to providing funds, the government will play a crucial role in fostering an environment that encourages private investment. This needs to be accomplished through tax reform, duty exemptions, increased public spending, lending to priority sectors, and FDI. By taking actions like these, the private sector will invest more in supply chain infrastructure and services, which will reduce waste and increase added value.

2. Expanding market, finance, and technological access

PPPs may help India's agriculture industry adopt cutting-edge methods and technologies. Agriculture could be transformed by IT and biotech, increasing outputs and productivity levels. We need PPPs that are aimed at providing farmers with access to crucial data, methodologies, and cutting-edge technology to assist them in areas like crop rotation, weather patterns, fertilizer use, and switching to organic farming - all at the click of a button or a straightforward SMS on their mobile phones.

In contrast, biotechnology can give farmers tools for raising crops with high yields, controlling pests, making better use of wastewater, and emphasizing nutrition. How great of an influence biotechnology can have is demonstrated by the amazing advancements made in the cereal producing sector.

In critical sectors like import-intensive pulses and oil seeds, PPPs can assist in replicating this achievement.

Similar to this, PPP projects can bring about significant changes in the rural economy when they are designed to assist farmers in connecting with their markets and financial institutions for micro-funding.

3. Increasing the resiliency of farmers to environmental shocks

India's farmers are continuously at danger from bad weather and other environmental factors that would ruin their crops. The farming community in India is frequently affected by extreme events like flooding and droughts. PPPs that safeguard the agriculture industry from the whims of nature can literally save lives. Such initiatives can really save lives in a nation where farmer suicides are rampant. PPPs that assist the agriculture industry in coping with weather shocks and enable farmers to reduce risk through insurance might be a key helping hand.The project, which is a component of the World Economic Forum's New Vision for Agriculture, attempts to create integrated value chains. There are now 33 value chain programmes, involving more than 60 enterprises, from the original 11 projects in 2012–13. The project, which focuses on 15 important crops, has already connected with around 500,000 farmers and aims to reach 5 million by 2020.

The Maharashtra project and other PPPs are the way to go for India's agriculture industry. They are demonstrating that they are a crucial step in reviving rural economies and guiding them towards inclusive and sustainable growth.