Even though India is a country of great heterogeneity in terms of biology, its share in world trade is staggeringly low at a meager 1%. Moreover, its population outpaces its total food production, thereby importing of food products and putting the nation on a Malthusian Trajectory. This paper underlines the need to understand and find out a solution to the paradoxes that are chronically affecting the Indian agriculture. This paper emphasizes the importance of post-harvest activities in meeting the consumption requirements, and also in helping the producer to get maximum output thereof. It talks about the problems that are deep-rooted, such as lack of modern warehousing and storage, poor handling and packaging, technology handicap, local exploitation, and suggests that superficial curative measures are of little help. Finally, the paper recommends framing of second generation policies and programs like private and institutional participation, integration of agro-processing, private marketing infrastructure, dissemination of correct price information, use of media and e-Choupal operations to uplift the sagging fortunes of the Indian agriculture.

India possesses 20% of the World's irrigated land, but India's share of trade in world agriculture is a pittance-just about 1%. In spite of the fact that no country is rich in as much of Nature's Bounty as we are: Sunshine round the year, average rainfall of over 1,000 mm, great biodiversity and above all large tracts of arable land. The arable land to total national land area is 51%, while the world average is 11%. This means we have enormous landmass that can be cultivated.

Agriculture is economically, nutritionally, and socially vital to India. It contributes 23% of the gross domestic products, feeds a billion people, and employs 66% of the workforce. While the remaining 34% of population is contributing 77% of GDP (Table1). This talks enormously about the efficiency and productivity of our agriculture systems. A fuller understanding of the sector requires a review of the paradoxes that beset it.

Optimism to Realism: Strengthening the Indian Agri Supply Chain, agroprocessing, consumption, curative, deeprooted, dissemination, domestic products, efficiency and productivity, world agriculture, private marketing infrastructure, local exploitation.