I'm not well versed (or even poorly versed) in agriculture economics but isn't this what the United States does to a certain degree? I know some farmers get subsidies but I'm not sure how / why.
So to protect farmers, Govt of India and the state govts provide lot of subsidies and incentives. Here is a short list: 1) They don't pay taxes on their income. 2) Get loans at a very low interest rates. Most of the time loans are waived off. 3) They don't pay for the electricity used for farming. 4) They get subsidized prices on the seeds, fertilizers etc.