MAINS Current Affairs includes International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF 2026) & Why is India Staring at an LPG Shortage?

Agriculture

1. International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF 2026)

Context: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has declared 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF 2026) to highlight the crucial role of women in agriculture and address structural inequalities affecting them.

Key Trends in Women’s Participation in Agriculture

1. Workforce Shift: Rural men are increasingly moving towards non-farm employment, resulting in women taking on greater responsibility in agricultural activities.
2. Rising Participation of Women: Employment of women in agriculture has increased by about 135% over the past decade.

• • Women now constitute around 42% of India’s agricultural workforce.
  • Approximately two out of every three working women are engaged in agriculture.

3. Global Comparison: Despite this rise, women’s workforce participation in agriculture remains lower than global levels, where it ranges between 57% and 63% in many countries.

• Workforce Size: In 2023–24, about 6 million women were working in agriculture:
  • 1 million self-employed
  • 7 million hired workers
  • 8 million regular workers
  • The male agricultural workforce stood at around 127.5 million.

4. Economic Impact: Increased participation of women has not translated into proportional economic gains.

• • Agriculture’s share in Gross Value Added (GVA) declined from 15.3% in 2017-18 to 14.4% in 2024-25.

Challenges Faced by Women Farmers

1. Unpaid Labour: Nearly half of women engaged in agriculture work as unpaid family labourers.

• • The number of unpaid women workers increased 5 times in eight years, from 23.6 million to 59.1 million.
  • In states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, more than 80% of women workers are engaged in agriculture, and over half of them receive no wages.

2. Systemic Inequalities

• • Women own only 13–14% of agricultural landholdings in India.
  • They typically earn 20–30% less than men for similar work.

• Additional structural barriers include:
  • Limited Ownership Of Productive Assets,
  • Restricted Decision-Making Authority,
  • Poor access to institutional credit and government schemes.

These factors confine women largely to low-value agricultural activities.

3. Digital Divide

• Women farmers face multiple barriers in accessing modern agricultural markets due to:
  • Low digital literacy,
  • Language barriers,
  • Limited access to digital devices and internet connectivity.
• As a result, the feminisation of agriculture has often reinforced existing inequalities instead of empowering women economically.

Emerging Opportunities for Women Farmers

4. Expansion of High-Value Agriculture

• • Global demand for organic products and superfoods is increasing.
  • India has strong potential in sectors where women are already active, including tea, spices, millets, organic agricultural products.
  • With Geographical Indication (GI) tagging, branding initiatives, and export support, women farmers can transition from subsistence farming to higher-value agricultural markets.

5. Digital Innovations

• • Digital technologies are helping bridge the information gap for women farmers.
• Examples include:
  • e‑NAM connecting farmers to national markets
  • Mobile-based advisory services
  • Voice-enabled agricultural applications
  • Precision agriculture technologies.
• These tools enable women to access:
  • Market price information
  • Government schemes
  • Financial services and credit
  • Modern farming knowledge.

Government Initiatives Supporting Women Farmers

1. Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP)

• • Implemented under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, it promotes women’s empowerment in sustainable agriculture, livestock rearing, non-timber forest produce.

2. Joint Land Titles

• • State governments are encouraged to issue land ownership titles jointly in the names of husband and wife, improving women’s legal rights over land.

3. Priority Sector Lending (PSL)

• • Banks are mandated to increase credit flow to women farmers under priority sector lending norms.

4. Women SHGs and FPOs

• • Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) are supported through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and rural livelihood programmes.

5. Agri-Clinics and Agri-Business Centres (ACABC)

• • The Agri‑Clinics and Agri‑Business Centres Scheme provides special support for women agri-entrepreneurs.

6. Digital Literacy Initiatives

• • Programmes such as Digital Sakhi and the BHASHINI platform promote multilingual access to agricultural information and digital services.

7. Women FPO Promotion

• • Under the Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations Scheme, special provisions encourage women-led FPOs.

8. Branding and Export Support

• • Government support for GI tagging, product branding, and export facilitation helps women farmers in sectors such as spices, tea, millets, organic agriculture.

Way Forward

• Expand Land Rights for Women
  • Policies should promote joint or individual land ownership for women, which will strengthen their eligibility for institutional credit, crop insurance, agricultural subsidies.
• Recognise Women as Independent Farmers
  • Government policies must formally recognise women as farmers rather than only farm labourers, ensuring their inclusion in agricultural schemes and decision-making processes.
• Improve Access to Technology and Markets
  • Investments in digital infrastructure, agricultural extension services, and skill development can improve women’s productivity and participation in modern agricultural markets.

Conclusion

The International Year of the Woman Farmer (2026) highlights the growing importance of women in sustaining agricultural production. However, structural inequalities in land ownership, wages, and access to resources continue to limit their empowerment. Addressing these gaps through policy reforms, digital inclusion, and institutional support will be essential for transforming the feminisation of agriculture into genuine economic empowerment.

Energy

2. Why is India Staring at an LPG Shortage?

Context: Amid escalating tensions in West Asia, supply disruptions of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) have been reported in several Indian cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. These disruptions are largely linked to geopolitical instability affecting global energy supply routes.

About LPG

• Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is a highly flammable, clean-burning fuel primarily composed of propane and butane.

Key Characteristics

• Produced during crude oil refining or natural gas processing.
• Stored in liquid form under pressure in steel cylinders.
• Widely used for household cooking, heating, commercial applications, automotive fuel.
• In India, major public sector companies such as Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited together produce around 40% of the country’s LPG requirement.

Major Reasons for the LPG Supply Disruption

Geopolitical Risks

• India imports about 60% of its LPG consumption.
  • Nearly 90% of these imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy shipping routes.
  • Ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia, particularly the conflict involving the Iran, the United States, and Israel, have disrupted shipping routes.
• This has directly affected LPG shipments to India.

Infrastructure Limitations

• India’s LPG supply system is designed primarily for continuous operational flow rather than long-term stockpiling.
• Currently, India has only two underground LPG storage caverns:
  • Mangaluru (Karnataka)
  • Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
• These facilities have a combined storage capacity of about 1.4 lakh tonnes, which is relatively small compared to the country’s large consumption needs.

Rising Domestic Demand

• India’s LPG consumption has grown rapidly in the past decade.
• According to the International Energy Agency:
  • LPG imports increased threefold between 2011–12 and 2024–25.
  • Total imports have reached around 20 million tonnes.
• One of the key drivers of this demand surge is the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, under which nearly 10 crore LPG connections have been provided since 2017.
• Currently, India has around 33 crore domestic LPG connections.

Ripple Effects of an LPG Shortage

• Impact on Households;
  • Approximately 87% of India’s LPG consumption is used for domestic cooking.
  • Any disruption in supply directly affects household energy access, particularly for low-income families dependent on LPG cylinders.
• Industrial Impact
  • Several industries rely on LPG for operational processes, including textile manufacturing, food processing, pharmaceuticals, agricultural equipment production.
  • LPG is also widely used by restaurants, hotels, and catering services, making supply disruptions harmful to the hospitality sector.
• Supply Chain and Transport Costs
  • Normally, LPG shipments from Gulf ports take around four days to reach India.
  • However, if ships avoid the Strait of Hormuz and reroute around Africa, the journey may take up to 25 days.
  • Such diversions significantly increase freight charges, shipping insurance costs, overall LPG import expenses.
• Macroeconomic Impact
  • India is the second-largest consumer of LPG globally.
  • Energy analysts estimate that every $10 rise in global crude oil prices can increase India’s current account deficit by nearly $9 billion, putting pressure on the country’s external balance.

Government Response

• The government has initiated several measures to manage the emerging LPG shortage:
  • Priority Allocation: The Essential Commodities Act, 1955 has been invoked to prioritise LPG supply for households, hospitals, essential services. Commercial distribution has been restricted in some areas.
  • Increased Domestic Production: Refineries have been instructed to increase LPG output, resulting in around a 25% rise in production.
  • Strengthening Supply Chains: State governments have been directed to ensure security of LPG distribution networks, smooth functioning of supply chains.
  • Diversification of Energy Imports: India is also diversifying its crude oil procurement, currently importing energy resources from more than 40 countries worldwide to reduce dependence on any single region.

Way Forward

• Expand Strategic LPG Storage
  • India must increase its strategic LPG storage capacity to better handle supply disruptions.
• Diversify Import Routes
  • Reducing dependence on West Asian supply routes will strengthen long-term energy security.
• Promote Alternative Cooking Fuels
  • Encouraging the adoption of electric cooking, biogas, and other clean energy sources can reduce pressure on LPG demand.

Conclusion

The emerging LPG shortage underscores India’s vulnerability to global geopolitical shocks and supply chain disruptions. While welfare programmes such as Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana have significantly expanded access to clean cooking fuel, ensuring long-term energy security will require stronger storage infrastructure, diversified import sources, and expansion of alternative energy solutions.

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