<P> India ranks second worldwide in farm output . Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry , logging and fishing accounted for 17 % of the GDP and employed 49 % of its total workforce in 2014 . Agriculture accounted for 23 % of GDP , and employed 59 % of the country 's total workforce in 2016 . As the Indian economy has diversified and grown , agriculture 's contribution to GDP has steadily declined from 1951 to 2011 , yet it is still the country 's largest employment source and a significant piece of its overall socio - economic development . Crop - yield - per - unit - area of all crops has grown since 1950 , due to the special emphasis placed on agriculture in the five - year plans and steady improvements in irrigation , technology , application of modern agricultural practices and provision of agricultural credit and subsidies since the Green Revolution in India . However , international comparisons reveal the average yield in India is generally 30 % to 50 % of the highest average yield in the world . The states of Uttar Pradesh , Punjab , Haryana , Madhya Pradesh , Andhra Pradesh , Telangana , Bihar , West Bengal , Gujarat and Maharashtra are key contributors to Indian agriculture . </P>
what is the share of agriculture in indian economy
23 %