Agriculture and Allied Sectors of Bihar
■ Agriculture Sector
Agriculture is the mainstay of economies such as Bihar, underpinning their food security, employment, and rural development. It supports the livelihoods of more than three-fourth of the population. Besides generating employment, it also provides raw material to industries, augments food supply and assists in poverty alleviation.
• Contribution of Agriculture Sector to State’s GSVA stands around 20% in 2017-18.
• During 2018-19, the share of the crop sector in total GSVA was 10.64% and it was the largest contributor to GSVA.
• During 2018-19, Livestock, fisheries, and aquaculture together contributed about 7.10% of Gross value added in the agriculture sector in Bihar; but Fishing and aquaculture remained the lowest contributor to GSVA at 1.5%.
■ Land Use Pattern
Agricultural land constitutes a substantial part of Bihar’s total geographical area, as nearly 56.0 % is under net sown area (52.42 lakh hectares) in 2017-18. The gross cropped area was 75.25 lakh hectares in 2017-18, implying a Cropping Intensity of 144%.
Net Sown Area (NSA): This represents the total area sown with crops and orchards. Area sown more than once in the same year is counted only once.
Gross Cropped Area (GCA): This represents the total area sown once, and those areas sown more than once in a particular year. For areas sown more than once, they are counted as many times as they are sown.
Cropping Intensity (CI): It is expressed as the ratio of gross cropped area to net cropped area in percentage.
CI = (GCA/ NSA)* 100
■ Few Stats:
During 2017-18
• Highest NSA: East Champaran (2.83 lakh hectares)
• Lowest NSA: Sheohar (0.23 hectares)
• Highest CI: Saharsa (1.95)
• Lowest CI: Bhojpur (1.07)
• About 20 districts recorded cropping intensities higher than the state average of 1.44.
■ Land Holdings: (source: Agriculture Census, 2015-16)
• The total number of operational holdings in Bihar in 2015-16 was 16.41 million.
• The small and marginal landholdings which are less than two hectares, account for nearly 97% of the landholdings in Bihar, operating about 76% of the total area of operational holdings in the state.
•The marginal landholdings have shown an increase of 1.5% between 2010-11 and 2015-16.
• The average size of landholdings in Bihar during 2015-16 is 0.39 hectares and has not changed over the previous census period 2010-11.
• The average size of landholdings stood at 0.39 hectares for both males and females.
•The average size of landholding for marginal, semi-medium and large size class was higher for females than for males.
• Only 14.2% of the total land holdings are owned by females in Bihar.
■ Crop Sector
The agro-climatic and topographical factors in Bihar have led to the cultivation of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fibre, and cash crops.
Cereals dominate the cropping pattern in the state, occupying more than 86% of the gross cropped area. Within cereals, rice and wheat together contribute more than 70% of the total gross cropped area.
■ Production and Productivity:
• The total foodgrain production in Bihar stood at 163.12 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, compared to 147.50 lakh tonnes in 2014-15, recording a growth rate of 4.14%.
• Production of Cereals stood at 158.58 lakh tonnes with CAGR of 4.21% which was the result of higher productivity and surge in wheat and maize crop.
The major food crops grown in Bihar include paddy, wheat, maize and pulses. Main cash crops are sugarcane, potato, tobacco, oilseeds, onion, chillies, jute and mesta.
• Paddy:
Paddy is one of the widely cultivated food crops in Bihar. The state has about 3.2 million ha under paddy cultivation, which is mostly rainfed covering both uplands and shallow lowland ecosystems. The area has declined from 3.6 million ha and there has been inconsistency in its production and productivity during the last five years.
The production of rice declined from 82.42 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to 61.56 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, and its productivity declined by 3.61% from 2525 kg per hectare in 2014-15 to 1948 kg per hectare in 2018-19. Rohtas has recorded the highest production of rice (7.92 lakh tonnes).
The falling productivity of rice could be attributed to inadequate availability of water for cultivation, because of droughts, deficient rain and floods in certain districts, along with rising input costs.
The highest productivity of rice was recorded in Rohtas (4105 kg per hectare), while the lowest was observed in the district of Siwan (709 kg per hectare).
The State Government has made significant efforts through promotion of Zero Tillage methods and System of Rice Intensification technique to increase rice production.
Zero-Tillage: Zero-tillage (also No-tillage) is a practice in which the crop is sown directly into
soil not tilled since the harvest of the previous crop. It is typically practised in arable areas where fallowing is important.
System of Rice Intensification (SRI): The System of Rice Intensification is a low water, labour-intensive method that uses younger seedlings singly-spaced and typically hand-weeded with special tools, aimed at increasing the yield of rice production.
• Wheat
Wheat is one of the most important rabi crop in Bihar, sown during November and harvested between March and April. It is the second most predominant food crop in Bihar which is produced in about 2.2 million ha land area.
The production of wheat increased from a modest quantum of 35.70 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to about 64.66 lakh tonnes in 2018-19.
The main wheat-producing area is Ganga-Diara, Kosi basin, Begusarai district, area falling west of river Bagmati and in the districts of Buxar, Rohtas, Gaya, Jehanabad, Patna, Munger and Bhagalpur.
Rohtas has recorded the highest production of wheat (5.18 lakh tonnes). The highest productivity of wheat was recorded in Madhepura (3805 Kg per hectare) while Madhubani recorded the lowest.
Investing in the mechanization of farms, early sowing and increasing seed replacement rates can accentuate wheat productivity in the state.
• Maize
Maize is an important staple crop in Bihar and is largely grown under different agro-ecological
zones across all the districts. It is the third main crop of Bihar which is useful to meet the growing demand for diversified uses such as human consumption, animal feed (for poultry and livestock), and other industrial uses.
It is mainly grown in the area Southwest of Burhi Gandak River and in the districts of Saran,
Gopalganj, Siwan, Samastipur and Purbi and Paschim Champaran. Katihar has recorded the highest production of 4.76 lakh tonnes.
The maize production increased from 24.79 lakh tonnes to 31.94 lakh tonnes in 2018-19. The highest productivity of maize was recorded in Purnea (9188 kg per hectare) while the lowest was observed in Bhojpur.
Though the area under maize has steadily increased in Bihar, there are considerable fluctuations in yield leading to instability in production.
• Pulses
In Bihar, pulses are largely grown under rainfed conditions and, therefore, are prone to high fluctuations in yield. About 6-10 lakh ha land is used for growing such type of crops.
The production of pulses stood at 4.53 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, growing at a rate of 1.89% per annum during 2014-15 to 2018-19. Most of the pulses are grown as a mixed crop in Kharif and Rabi and much of this increase was due to growth in Rabi pulses.
Patna district recorded the highest production of 0.68 lakh tonnes while the productivity of pulses was the highest in the district of Buxar (1374 kg per hectare).
To streamline the pulse production in the state, the State Government has undertaken various initiatives to minimize pest infestation, increase yield, and enhance price realization to the farmers.
• Sugarcane
Sugarcane is one of the most important commercial crops of Bihar and provides raw materials to one of the largest agro-based industries. The first sugar factory was established in 1904 at Marhuara in the Saran district which was also the first sugar mill in the country.
Sugarcane is grown in alluvial soil having lime as the main ingredient. It is grown west of Kosi till the northwestern boundary. It is noted that the area lying east of Bagmati is not suitable for sugarcane cultivation. Broadly, it is the area lying Northeast of Bagmati river which is considered most suitable for sugarcane cultivation.
The productivity of sugarcane crop decreased from 69.06 ton per hectare in 2017-18 to 60.15 ton per hectare in 2018-19. In 2018-19, the highest productivity was observed in Patna (84.77 ton per hectare), while the lowest was in Bhagalpur district (46.14 ton per hectare). The district of West Champaran accounted for nearly 58.3% of the total sugarcane production in the state, produced in an area of 1.72 lakh hectares, which is about 56.6% of the total area under sugarcane in 2018-19.
A major incentive scheme for sugarcane growers is the Mukhyamantri Ganna Vikas Yojana, aimed at distributing subsidized certified seeds to farmer-beneficiaries selected through the Panchayati Raj Institutions. The scheme provides a subsidy of ₹160 per quintal (for SC/ST ₹200 per quintal) to farmers on purchase of certified sugarcane seed of 16 selected varieties for a maximum of 2.5 acres.
■ Bihar Agriculture Map
■ Horticulture
Horticulture has emerged as one of the most important agricultural enterprises in Bihar in the last two decades, as it offers a wide range of opportunities for farmers to diversify their cropping pattern to include fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, plantation crops, medicinal and aromatic plants.
• Fruits
The total production of fruits in Bihar stood at 45.12 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, registering a compounded annual growth rate of 4.9%.
Except for pineapple, all other fruits registered growth in production in the last three years. The state is performing well in the production of litchi, amounting to 3.07 lakh tonnes cultivated in an area of 0.36 lakh hectares in 2018-19. This was possible due to the increase in both its acreage and productivity.
• Vegetables
Production of vegetables has received special impetus in Bihar since the implementation of the National Horticulture Mission in 2005. The State Government is providing substantial support through investments in technology, post-harvest management and processing of vegetables in Bihar. Further, the climate, alluvial soil and water resources are conducive to produce vegetables at low cost.
In 2018-19, a total of 166.03 lakh tonnes of vegetables was produced in an area of 8.57 lakh
hectares.
District-wise production of four important vegetables potato, onion, cauliflower and
brinjal during 2018-19:
• Potato:
- Patna,
- Nalanda and
- Vaishali (Highest yield of 29.2 tonnes per hectare)
(Potato accounts for nearly half of the total vegetable production.)
• Onion:
- Nalanda,
- Vaishali and
- Katihar
• Cauliflower:
- Vaishali,
- Katihar and
- Nalanda
• Brinjal
- Nalanda
- Vaishali and
- Patna
In the Agriculture Roadmap (2017-22), specific focus is now being given by the State Government to organic cultivation, and promotion of cultivation on rooftops. Further, setting up of low-cost cold storage units and cool chain for the marketing of fruits and vegetables have resulted in better management of horticulture produce and minimize their wastages
■ Schemes:
The State Government is implementing Agriculture Roadmap since 2008. The first Agriculture Roadmap was initiated in 2008 to usher in a rainbow revolution, an integrated development programme of agriculture, horticulture, forestry, sugarcane, fishery, poultry and animal husbandry. It concluded with a Krishi Karman Award in 2012 to the state of Bihar for achieving the highest rice production.
The second Agriculture Roadmap was launched in 2012 with the main objective to ensure the safety of foodgrains and nutrition, and to augment the incomes of farmers. It paid special attention to road connectivity to help the rural population reach wholesale markets and be able to directly sell their produce.
The third Agriculture Roadmap was unveiled by the President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, for the period 2017–2022 in November 2017. This entails the allocation of a sum of ₹1.54 lakh crore for the agriculture and allied sectors, including for food processing, irrigation, flood protection and dairy development projects. In addition, nine other schemes have been launched under this roadmap, including an organic farming corridor, a Bihar Fisheries College at Kishanganj, stone laying of an 11kV agriculture feeder at the Naubatpur block in Patna district, and a three-layer Bihar Vegetable Processing and Distribution Cooperative system. A new aspect of the Third Agriculture Roadmap is the creation of an organic corridor in the
districts along the Ganga river.
The Government of India has conferred the Krishi Karman Award to the state on 2nd January 2020, for its achievements in production and productivity of Maize and Wheat.
• Chief Minister Horticulture Mission:
Under this scheme, there is a provision of grants for promoting rooftop horticulture in five cities of the state, including Patna. Out of the total allocated amount of ₹ 4126.31 lakh, an expenditure of ₹ 3569.86 lakh has been incurred under the scheme.
• Bihar State Organic Mission:
It is being implemented in 12 districts (Patna, Buxar, Bhojpur, Nalanda, Vaishali, Saran, Samastipur, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Bhagalpur and Munger) with a total approved sum of ₹ 15,588.58 lakh for the period 2019-20 to 2021-22.
The main objectives of the scheme is to promote organic farming in the state, protect the environment, soil and water resources from pollution and make farming sustainable.
It also aims at increasing the value of produce to ensure better incomes for farmers.
Under the Adoption and Certification Programme of organic seeds, the farmers will be provided certification for the adoption of organic seeds.
• Jalvayu ke Anukul Krishi (Climate Resilient Agriculture) Karykram:
Under the Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali campaign, the State government has recently launched a new
scheme of Jalvayu ke Anukul Krishi (Climate Resilient Agriculture) Karykram.
In the first phase, the project is implemented in 8 districts, where 40 villages (5 villages per district) will be developed as model climate-resilient agriculture village. Based on the experience of this project, the entire state will be covered in the coming years. The State government has sanctioned ₹ 60 crores for the project for five years.
■ Agriculture Credit:
Timely provision of institutional credit helps meet the expenses of working capital. In 2018-19, the gross flow of agricultural credit stood at ₹ 41,798 crores in Bihar, of which nearly 52% came from the commercial banks, followed by regional rural banks (41.3%) and central-co-operative banks (6.7%).
• Since 1998, the Kisan Credit Card scheme is providing timely credit support to farmers through the interest subvention scheme. In 2018-19, about 2.53 lakh farmers benefitted from this scheme. Besides this, the KCC scheme has been introduced for allied activities in agriculture such as dairy, poultry and fishery.
• The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (micro-irrigation), there is a provision for 55% subsidy to marginal farmers (those having landholding of less than one hectare) and 45% to those having land holdings over one hectare.
The State government is providing additional top-up subsidy to encourage the use of micro-irrigation system in Bihar. After adding additional top-up, farmers of the state get 90% subsidy on drip irrigation and 75% subsidy on sprinkler irrigation.
• In 2018-19, a total of ₹ 229.93 crores has been sanctioned as electricity subsidy by the energy department. The diesel subsidy up to ₹ 263.60 crores have been distributed in Bihar during 2018-19.
• Further, the State Government is providing a subsidy of up to 80% on the purchase of farm equipment such as happy seeder, straw reaper, straw baler and rotary mulcher for management of crop residue, as part of its efforts to dissuade farmers from burning stubble and promote environmental-friendly practices.
• Under the Scheme for Integrated Development of Food Processing, about 3 cold storages and 5 dry warehouses have been established.
• The State Government, in collaboration with COMFED and private companies, is establishing common facility centre for facilitating value addition, packaging, cold storage and warehouse for processing of various agricultural products.
■ Allied Sectors:
The growing importance of allied sectors such as fisheries, livestock and dairy farming in Bihar is largely due to its role in supporting livelihoods. As labour-intensive sectors, they employ a large segment of the population and help the poor rural households in earning supplementary income.
Livestock and aquaculture together contributed about 7.10% of Gross Value Added in the agriculture sector in Bihar during 2018-19. Its contribution to GDP in the last three years, i.e. during 2016-17 to 2018-19 stands at ₹ 1.45 lakh crores.
The Department of Animal and Fisheries Resources has brought out a Livestock Master Plan (LMP) for the years 2018-19 to 2022-23 to augment production and marketing of milk, meat, eggs, and fish to meet their growing demand.
■ Livestock
• The livestock population in Bihar increased from 32.9 million to 36.5 million from 2012 to 2019, registering a growth of 10.67%.
• The highest growth in livestock population was recorded in West Bengal of 23.32%.
• As per the Livestock Census of 2019, the milch animals constituted about 63.18% of the total livestock population.
• The population of cattle was 153.11 lakh (42.00%) and it was higher than that of buffaloes at 77.20 lakh (21.18 percent) in 2019.
• The poultry population registered a growth of 18.31%, increasing from 139.68 lakh in 2003 to 165.25 lakh in 2019.
• Several vaccination campaigns are being conducted as per the calendar and four important vaccinations i.e., HSBQ (Haemorrhagic Septicaemia and Blackquarter), F MDCP ( Foot and Mouth Disease Control Programme-caused by Aphthovirus ), Brucellosis (bacterial infection) and PPR(Peste Des Petits Ruminants- viral vaccine) are given without fail since last four years by the Department under the National Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme to protect against various infectious diseases.
Vaccination in livestock has increased and about 555.66 lakh were immunized in 2018-19.
■ Production of Fishery, Livestock and Dairy Products
• Fishery
The production of fishery in Bihar increased from 4.79 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to 6.02 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, representing a compound annual growth of 6.22%.
Presently, Bihar is one of the leading inland fish producing states in India and ranks fourth in Inland Fisheries in the country. The fisheries sector contributed to about 1.6% of the state’s Gross Value Addition.
The leading districts in terms of production of fish during 2018-19 are Madhubani (0.69 lakh tonnes), Darbhanga (0.55 lakh tonnes) and East Champaran (0.51 lakh tonnes).
• Meat
Meat production has shown a steady increase from 2.94 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to 3.64 lakh tonne in 2018-19, recording an annual growth of 5.70%.
For increasing the production of goat meat and to provide gainful employment for rural
households, 3 goats per family are being distributed for Jeevika self-help group women through the grants given by the Department of Animal and Fisheries resources.
An incentive scheme for the establishment of goat and buck farm of 21, 42 and 105 animal units have been launched to provide livelihood opportunities for the rural households.
• Egg
The fastest growth has been observed in egg production, registering a growth rate of 14.60% during the same period. About 176.33 crores of eggs are produced in Bihar presently.
Since the launch of the Rural Backyard Poultry Scheme in 2014-15, the State Government has been emphasizing on poultry farming and linking with poultry business.
• Milk
Milk production in the state has steadily increased from 77.75 lakh tonnes in 2014-
15 to 98.18 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, indicating an annual growth rate of 5.92%.
The districts of Samastipur, Begusarai, and Patna together contribute to nearly 17.05% of the total milk produced from cows in 2018-19.
For goat milk, the leading producers are Araria, East Champaran and Muzaffarpur, accounting for 25.5% of the total milk produced from goats in the state.
■ New Initiatives of Animal and Fisheries Resources Department
• The preparation of Bihar Livestock Master Plan with the support of International Livestock Research Institute and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) was launched by Honourable Chief Minister in January 2019.
• Out of the total 800 Livestock Development Centres sanctioned to deliver artificial insemination services at the doorstep of the farmers, 780 are operational.
• The mass deworming programme which had started in 2017-18 has now been institutionalised.
• For better conservation of indigenous breeds of cattle, Gokul Gram is being established at Dumraon in Buxar district.
• One of the largest frozen semen stations is being constructed with a production capacity of 50 lakh frozen semen straws per annum in Purnea, which would prove to be a boon to the farmers of the state.
• A proposal has been approved by the Government to enable small holder producers and landless farmers to initiate development of small livestock and aquaculture in a commercially viable and sustainable manner. This would enhance their income and food security and strengthen services and value chains. The scheme will receive assistance of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). A target of upto 1 million poor households with a focus on women farmers has been set-up.
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■ Extra Links:
• Agriculture Sector in Bihar (updated)
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