Areas of Sino-Indian Cooperation in Agriculture: Problems and Prospects

I

The arable area in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of India sustain respectively 1.12 billion and 1.32 billion people (July 07). It is a fine commentary on the carrying conditions of the soil in the two countries. The two countries are presently in the process of demographic transition, where the population size will unmistakably grow despite all family planning measures. This is despite substantial decline in average exponential growth rate in the two countries. It is presently 1.93 per cent Per annum in India and 1.22 in China.
The phenomenon has unstated bearing on the production potentials of the arable land at disposal in the two countries. In China, only about 10-15 per cent of the total land area can be cultivated. In India, it is staggering 56 per cent of the total land area that can be put to cultivation. India is thus better placed in comparison to China in land resources in absolute terms.