Maarg Manthan · Topic 11.9

Agricultural Revolutions (Green Revolution, White Revolution, Blue Revolution, etc.)

Geography › Agriculture and Crop Geography · Topic 11.9

Agricultural revolutions are big jumps in output of a product, usually named by colour. The Green Revolution, from 1966-67, used high-yielding wheat and rice seeds, fertilisers and irrigation, mainly in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, under M. S. Swaminathan, C. Subramaniam and with Norman Borlaug's dwarf wheat. The White Revolution (Operation Flood, 1970) built the dairy cooperative movement under Verghese Kurien. The Blue Revolution is the growth of fisheries and aquaculture. Others include the Yellow (oilseeds), Golden (horticulture and honey), Pink (prawns and meat) and Silver (eggs and poultry) revolutions.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Agriculture and Crop Geography

At a Glance

Green Foodgrains, from 1966-67
White Milk, Operation Flood 1970
Blue Fish and aquaculture
Yellow Oilseeds
Golden Horticulture, honey
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Agriculture and Crop Geography

Where Does It Fit?

This topic follows the topics on land and horticulture and sets out the major steps by which Indian agriculture was transformed. It prepares for the topics on labour, prices and policy that deal with the aftermath. Previous topic: Horticulture Sector in India. Next topic: Agricultural Labour and Price Policy.

What Was the Green Revolution?

Background: food shortages and dependence on imports (PL-480 wheat from the United States) after the droughts of 1965 and 1966. The strategy was to raise yields on irrigated land.
Elements: high-yielding dwarf wheat (Sonora 64 and Lerma Rojo, based on the work of Norman Borlaug in Mexico) and rice (IR8 from the International Rice Research Institute), chemical fertiliser, irrigation, pesticides, credit and assured prices through the Food Corporation of India and the minimum support price.
People: C. Subramaniam as Agriculture Minister, M. S. Swaminathan as the scientist who led the adoption, and Borlaug (Nobel Peace Prize, 1970).
Results: wheat output rose from about 11 million tonnes in 1960-61 to over 100 million tonnes now, and India became self-sufficient in foodgrains by the 1970s.
Costs: regional imbalance, as Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh gained most; a crop imbalance in favour of wheat and rice at the cost of pulses and millets; rising inequality among farmers; falling groundwater, soil degradation and chemical pollution.
Second phase: an effort to spread improved seed to the east and the rainfed areas, called the ‘Evergreen Revolution’ by Swaminathan, with sustainability.

What Are the Other Revolutions?

Revolution	Product	Key facts
White (Operation Flood)	Milk	Launched in 1970 by the National Dairy Development Board under Verghese Kurien, who is called the Milkman of India; based on the Anand pattern of the Amul cooperative. India became the world’s largest milk producer in 1998
Blue	Fish and aquaculture	Led by the Fish Farmers Development Agencies from 1974 and the Neel Kranti mission of the 1980s; the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (2020) now supports it. India is among the top fish producers
Yellow	Oilseeds (mustard, sunflower)	Technology Mission on Oilseeds, 1986; edible oil imports remain high; the National Mission on Edible Oils (2021)
Golden	Horticulture and honey	Period of 1991 to 2003, linked to Nirpakh Tuli; fruit, vegetables and honey grew fast
Pink	Prawn and meat, onion	Used for shrimp farming and meat exports, and sometimes the onion crop
Silver	Eggs and poultry	Growth of poultry; India among the top egg producers
Red	Meat and tomato	Used for meat production and tomato
Round	Potato	A term for the potato revolution
Evergreen	Sustainable productivity	Term used by M. S. Swaminathan for the sustainable increase in productivity
Grey	Fertiliser	A term for fertiliser use

The colour labels beyond the first three are informal, and their definitions differ in different books, so the main ones are the Green, White and Blue revolutions. The inputs behind the first are in Infrastructure Factors: Seeds, Fertilizers, Irrigation.

What Are the Lessons?

Cooperatives work: the Anand model of dairy cooperatives gave small farmers and women a fair price and assured market, a model for other products.
Technology needs policy: assured procurement and price support underpinned the Green Revolution, and shaped the cropping pattern in favour of wheat and rice.
Sustainability: the gains were costly in terms of groundwater and soil, and the next phase must focus on efficiency, diversification and climate resilience, as in Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Sustainable Agriculture Practices.
Livestock and fisheries: growth in milk, eggs and fish has been faster than in crops and benefits small farmers, a sign of the need for more attention to these allied sectors.

Operation Flood’s three phases between 1970 and 1996 raised the number of village dairy cooperatives to over 70,000 and the milk grid linked rural producers with urban consumers, with women forming a growing share of members. The Green Revolution’s later wave in the 1980s extended HYVs to rice in the eastern states and to the Deccan, and the ‘second Green Revolution’ in the 2000s sought to raise pulses, oilseeds and rainfed output. As an analytical point, India’s revolutions were driven by public science and public purchase, and later growth will need both public support and private investment in storage, processing and markets.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Names Persons and years are asked
Impact Regional imbalance
Sustainability Next phase

What Came Next?

The next topic describes agricultural labour and price policy. Next topic: Agricultural Labour and Price Policy.

Key People and Terms

HYV High-yielding variety
Operation Flood Dairy cooperative programme
NDDB National Dairy Development Board
Anand pattern Cooperative dairy model
Neel Kranti Blue Revolution mission
Evergreen Revolution Sustainable productivity growth

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Green Revolution began in 1966-67.
Operation Flood began in 1970; Kurien.
Swaminathan: Green; Kurien: White.
Yellow Revolution is for oilseeds.
IR8 rice came from the IRRI.

Do Not Confuse With

Green and Evergreen revolution Foodgrain jump versus sustainable productivity
Blue and White revolutions Fish versus milk
Golden and Yellow revolutions Horticulture and honey versus oilseeds

Memory Hook

Green for grain, White for milk, Blue for fish, Yellow for oil seeds in a dish.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for an assessment of the Green Revolution. These points add depth.

Gains Self-sufficiency
Costs Regional and ecological
Next Evergreen and allied sectors

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Assess the achievements and limitations of the Green Revolution in India and examine how the White Revolution differs from it.”

How to Answer

Green Elements and results.
Limits Regional and ecological costs.
White Cooperative model.
Lessons Sustainability.

GS Relevance

Prelims: revolutions with product, year, persons. GS Paper 3: agriculture, food security.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Green Revolution in India?

The Green Revolution, begun in 1966-67, was the rapid increase in foodgrain output, mainly wheat and rice, using high-yielding varieties of seed, chemical fertilisers, irrigation and assured prices. It began in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh and made India self-sufficient in foodgrains by the 1970s.

Who are associated with the Green Revolution in India?

M. S. Swaminathan is called the father of the Green Revolution in India, and C. Subramaniam was the Agriculture Minister who backed the strategy. The Mexican-based scientist Norman Borlaug developed the dwarf wheat varieties and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.

What was Operation Flood?

Operation Flood, launched in 1970 by the National Dairy Development Board under Verghese Kurien, was the world's largest dairy development programme. It built a national milk grid of cooperatives on the model of Amul at Anand, and made India the largest milk producer in the world.

What is the Blue Revolution?

The Blue Revolution refers to the rapid growth in fish production and aquaculture, supported by schemes such as the Fish Farmers Development Agencies, the Neel Kranti mission and the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana of 2020. India is one of the leading fish producers and exporters in the world.

What were the drawbacks of the Green Revolution?

The drawbacks were regional inequality, as the benefits went mainly to the north-western states; a shift in favour of wheat and rice over pulses and millets; greater inequality between farmers; falling groundwater levels; soil degradation from chemicals; and pollution from heavy use of fertilisers and pesticides.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Verghese Kurien is associated with the White Revolution.

True

Operation Flood, 1970.

2 The Yellow Revolution refers to the increase in fish production.

False

It refers to oilseeds.

3 IR8 rice was brought from the International Rice Research Institute.