While food prices have been rising over the years, Indian farmers’ margins on all major crops have steadily declined. Atul Thakur’s analysis reveals that in 2010-11, sugarcane farmers earned roughly Rs 2.8 for every rupee invested in their crop, but by 2020-21, they were making only about Rs 2.1 on every rupee. Similarly, cotton farmers’ profitability has declined even more, from earning about 1.8 on every rupee spent in 2009-10 to only Rs 1.3 in 2020-21. This decline is due to agricultural costs rising faster than farmers’ earnings per hectare, with earnings stagnating for crops like cotton.