著者

秋田 茂

出版者

国立大学法人 大阪大学グローバルイニシアティブ機構

雑誌

アジア太平洋論叢 (ISSN:13466224)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.25, no.1, pp.3-21, 2023-03-31 (Released:2023-03-30)

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This article reconsiders the progress of the ‘Green Revolution’ or agricultural development in India in the 1970s and its relation to the oil crises. How could India achieve de-facto self-sufficiency in food production in the 1970s given the critical constraints of the oil crises? What factors contributed to the progress of agricultural development in the 1970s? In the middle of the 1960s, India managed to overcome a serious ‘food crisis’ through international aid, especially US food-aid under PL480. During this crisis, the Indian government changed policy priorities regarding economic development, turning from heavy industrialization to agricultural development. However, in 1973-74, India faced another critical economic situation, which led to the shortage of the most basic requisite for agricultural development: chemical fertilizers, a major product of the petrochemical industries. How could the Indian government overcome this shortage given the global economic crisis? The author pays attention to external economic aid to India, especially from the World Bank group (the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development: IBRD and the International Development Association: IDA), led by its President Robert McNamara [1968-1981]. After the First Oil Crisis, India quickly overcame a critical economic situation by expanding exports and invisible incomes. India recorded exceptionally favourable balance of trades between 1974-75 and 1976-77. This steady growth again suddenly reversed in 1979 at the time of the Second Oil Crisis. At this critical juncture, Indian government skillfully took advantage of the largest lending of the IMF and maintained a unique independent stance against the ‘Structural Adjustment’ policies.