Agriculture Sector in Bihar
■ Agriculture is the mainstay of economies such as Bihar, underpinning their food security, employment, and rural development. About 74% of the workforce in Bihar depend on agricultural and allied activities for their livelihood. Besides generating employment, it also provides raw material to industries, augments food supply and assists in poverty alleviation.
• In 2019-20, the overall contribution of the agricultural and allied sectors to state's GDP stood at 18.7%.
■ Land Use Pattern
Agricultural land constitutes a substantial part of Bihar’s total geographical area. The Net Sown Area stood at 51.67 lakh hectares, constituting nearly 55.2% of Bihar's total geographical area in 2018-19.
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 2018-19
• Highest Net Sown Area: East Champaran (2.84 lakh hectares)
• Lowest Net Sown Area: Sheohar (0.23 lakh hectares)
• Highest Cropping Intensity: Sheohar (1.91)
• Lowest Cropping Intensity: Purnea (1.1)
A total of 19 districts recorded cropping intensities higher than that of the state average of 1.43 in 2018-19.
• Highest uncultivable land: Gaya (3.24 lakh hectares)
■ 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 87.4% of the gross cropped area.
The share of area under pulses has shown a declining trend despite the focus on pulse production and raising the minimum support price.
In the case of fibre crops, the declining share in acreage could be attributed to the low market demand for jute, mesta, etc.
Oilseeds have shown a mixed picture while acreage under Sugarcane remained at 3.3% of the Gross Cropped Area.
■ Production and Productivity:
• Bihar registered a substantial increase in the production of food grains from 145.08 lakh tonnes in 2015-16 to 163.80 lakh tonnes in 2019-20, registering an annual growth of 1.14%.
• Production of Cereals stood at 160.45 lakh tonnes, recording a growth rate of 1.29%.
• Much of this growth can be attributed to the increasing productivity of cereals at the rate of 2.04%, which has increased to 2703 kg per hectare in 2019-20.
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 32 lakh ha under paddy cultivation, which is mostly rainfed covering both uplands and shallow lowland ecosystems. The area has declined from 36 lakh ha and there has been inconsistency in its production and productivity during the last five years.
Rice production increased from a modest quantum of 68.02 lakh tonnes in 2015-16 to 69.53 lakh tonnes in 2019-20. Moreover, during this period productivity has also increased to 2245 kg per hectare.
Rohtas has recorded the highest production of rice (9.2 lakh tonnes). The highest productivity of rice was also recorded in Rohtas (4111 kg per hectare), while the lowest productivity was observed in the district of Madhubani (1141 kg per hectare).
The relatively weak production of rice could be due to the following reasons:
- Inconsistency in the availability of irrigated water for cultivation
- Flash Floods
- Droughts
- Vagaries of monsoon
- Rising input costs
- Frequent bacterial disease
The State Government has made significant efforts through the 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 crops 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 22 lakh ha land area.
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.
The production of wheat was recorded at 55.79 lakh tonnes in the year 2019-20, which grew at a rate of 4.13% per annum, in the last five years.
Rohtas has recorded the highest production of wheat (4.35 lakh tonnes), while the lowest production was observed in Purnea.
The highest productivity of wheat was recorded in Begusarai (3742 Kg per hectare) while Gaya recorded the lowest.
Following are the constraints in achieving higher wheat production:
- Delay in sowing
- Low levels of mechanization
- Low seed replacement rates
• Maize
Maize is an important staple crop in Bihar and is largely grown under different agro-ecological zones across all the districts. This crop is useful to meet the growing demand for diversified uses such as human consumption, animal feed (for poultry and livestock), and other industrial uses.
Maize is the third main crop of Bihar which is produced in about 6.7 lakh ha land area. 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.
The maize production has seen an increasing trend which grew at 4.82% per annum in the last five years. The increase in maize production was from 25.17 lakh tonnes in 2015-16 to 34.95 lakh tonnes in 2019-20 and much of this can be attributed to increase in rabi maize.
Katihar has recorded the highest production of 5.30 lakh tonnes.
Maize productivity has also seen a substantial increase recording at 5193 kg per hectare in 2019-20. It recorded a high growth rate of 6.58% per annum in the last five years.
The highest productivity of maize was recorded in Supaul (9684 kg per hectare) while the lowest was observed in Buxar.
The tremendous increase in maize production could be contributed to growing commercial value due to its use in food processing industries and as animal feed.
The State Government is encouraging maize production by investing in better harvesting technologies and provision of hybrid seed to the farmers.
• Pulses
Pulses form an important part of agricultural production for their role in sustaining agricultural production by maintaining soil fertility and adapting to different cropping systems.
In Bihar, pulses are produced in about 4.6 lakh ha land area. They are largely grown under rainfed conditions and, therefore, are prone to high fluctuations in yield.
The production of pulses stood at 3.34 lakh tonnes in 2019-20, which has declined by 4.66% per annum in the last five years.
Patna district recorded the highest production of 0.31 lakh tonnes.
The productivity of pulses has also marginally declined during the last five years by 2.73%.
The highest productivity of pulse was recorded in East Champaran (1183 kg per ha), while the lowest was recorded in Araria (426 kg per ha).
To streamline the pulse production in the state, the State Government has undertaken various initiatives for supplying hybrid seeds to cultivators which help to minimize pest infestation, increase yield, and enhance price realization to the farmers.
The State Government is providing seed subsidy for crops, such as rice, wheat, pulses and oilseeds to help procurement of foundation or certified seeds.
• 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. In Bihar, sugarcane is grown in about 2.96 lakh ha of the total Gross Cropped Area of the state. 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 the Bagmati river which is considered most suitable for sugarcane cultivation.
As per the estimates of the Department of Sugarcane of the State Government, sugarcane production stood at 150.66 lakh tonnes.
The highest production of sugarcane was recorded in West Champaran (84.93 lakh tonnes) contributing over 56.4% to the total sugarcane production in the state in 2019-20.
The productivity of sugarcane crop decreased from 60.15 ton per hectare in 2018-19 to 50.85 ton per hectare in 2019-20.
The highest productivity was observed in the Kishanganj district (91.51 tonnes per ha) while the lowest was in Sitamarhi at 40.15 tonnes per hectare.
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 ₹180 per quintal (for SC/ST ₹210 per quintal) to farmers on purchase of certified sugarcane seed of 16 selected varieties for a maximum of 2.5 acres.
In 2019-20, an amount of ₹169.40 lakh was disbursed for the production of breeder seed to the Indian Insititute of Sugarcane Research (IISR) Regional Centre (Motipur) as an incentive.
■ 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 42.42 lakh tonnes in 2019-20, under the total acreage of 3.23 lakh hectares.
Among all the fruits, the production share of mangoes was the highest at 35.9% followed by bananas (33.5%) during the last three years.
In 2019-20, the highest growth rate in acreage was observed in the case of muskmelon, which grew at 31.5% per annum.
District-wise highest in production of major fruits:
- Mangoes → Darbhanga
- Litchi → Muzaffarpur
- Banana → Katihar
- Guava → Nalanda
During the triennium 2017-20, the productivity for banana was the highest, averaging around 43.4 tonnes per hectare while the lowest productivity was observed in muskmelon at 5.5 tonnes per hectare.
Government Initiatives:
The Agriculture Road Map III (2017-22) reiterates the emphasis being given to organic cultivation of fruits and the development of high-density new orchards of mango, litchi and guava to encourage large-scale use of technology and sustainable agricultural equipment.
Under the programme of Litchi Suraksha Abhiyan, the State Government is promoting high-density orchards of litchi and taking steps to increase their shelf life.
A Tissue Culture Laboratory has been established under the Bihar Agricultural University of Sabour to promote the cultivation of different varieties of bananas.
Further, various programmes are being designed to preserve the premium varieties of fruits such as Sahi Litchi of Muzaffarpur, Jardaalu mangoes of Bhagalpur and Digha Maldah mangoes of Patna.
• 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 a low cost.
In 2019-20, a total of 160.46 lakh tonnes of vegetables was produced in areas of 8.01 lakh hectare.
During the triennium 2017-20, the highest production growth was observed in sweet potato (26.6%) followed by cucumber and peas.
Except for potato, radish and carrot, all other vegetables registered a positive annual growth rate during 2017-18 to 2019-20.
The yield was the highest in the case of potato (26.7 tonnes per ha), while it was lowest for pea (5.9 tonne per ha).
■ District-wise Production of four important vegetables potato, onion, cauliflower and
brinjal during 2018-19:
• Potato:
- Patna,
- Nalanda and
- Vaishali
Potato yield was the highest in the Siwan district (35.25 tonnes per ha)
(Potato accounts for nearly half (48%) of the total vegetable production.)
• Onion:
- Nalanda,
- West Champaran and
- Patna
• Cauliflower:
- Vaishali,
- Katihar and
- Nalanda
• Brinjal
- Nalanda
- Vaishali and
- Patna
Government Initiatives:
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 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.
Presently, the National Horticulture Mission is being implemented in 23 districts of the state and in the remaining 15 districts, the Chief Minister's Horticulture Mission is being implemented.
The State Government is investing in input subsidy, infrastructure development, marketing and several other kinds of institutional support to streamline vegetable productivity.
■ Flowers:
As an emerging sector in Bihar, floriculture has the potential to enhance rural livelihoods through diversification.
The total flower production in the state stood at 7.43 thousand tonnes in 2019-20, cultivated in an area of 0.86 thousand hectares.
The production of marigold was the highest at 7.3 thousand tonnes in 2019-20.
The State government is providing quality planting materials to private nurseries, training facilities for farmers and introducing new technologies and high yielding varieties to enhance the productivity of horticultural crops.
■ Government 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 the production and productivity of Maize and Wheat.
■ Saat Nishchay-2 (Seven Resolves- 2 ): Har Khet Ko Pani
Under the third component of Saat Nishchay-2 towards a self-reliant Bihar, Har Khet Ko Pani programme has been initiated to provide irrigation facilities to each and every culturable land.
This scheme will be implemented by Agriculture Department, Energy Dept., Minor Water Resources Department and Panchayati Raj Dept.
A joint technical survey is done by the departments, with the Water Resources Dept. as the nodal agency, to identify the unirrigated areas and potential water bodies and irrigation schemes to develop irrigation systems.
In FY 2021-22, a total of ₹ 550 Crore has been budgeted for this scheme.
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■ 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 are 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 was implemented in 8 districts (Nalanda, Nawada, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Khagaria and Madhubani), where 40 villages (5 villages per district) was developed as model climate-resilient agriculture village.
Based on the experiences of the pilot scheme, the State Government has now extended the scheme in all 38 districts since the rabi season of 2020.
The State government has sanctioned ₹ 60 crores for the project for five years.
There are two major components, one relates to the demonstration of existing climate-resilient technologies in the farmer's field and the other, relates to research on futuristic climate-resilient agricultural technologies.
At the district level, Krishi Vigyan Kendra plays a key role in the implementation of the programme.
The project is implemented by the Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar Agricultural Univesity, Sabour, Borlaung Institute for South Asia, Pusa and ICAR, eastern region, Patna.
Besides technical support is also being sought from the International Rice Research Institute, Manila and International Centre for Potato, Peru.
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