The agriculture sector needs to grow at least by 4 per cent for the economy to grow at 9 per cent. Thus, though having a small share, the fluctuations in agricultural production can have large and significant impact on overall GDP growth.
Thirdly, since food is an important component in basket of commodities used for measuring consumer price indices, it is necessary that food prices are maintained at reasonable levels to ensure food security, especially for the deprived sections of our society.