Agricultural Inputs
- Considering the pressure to diversify cultivation, achieve higher yields and attain production targets to meet the growing demands of the population, timely and adequate supply of inputs is crucial.
- Since the launch of the programme of Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI) in 2010-11, the State Government has given considerable attention on providing farmers access to modern inputs, such as fertilizer, pesticide, seed, tractors, and other mechanized implements to enhance productivity.
- The use of chemical fertilizers and mechanised equipment have played a positive role in achieving self-sufficiency in food production in the state.
- Given that many farmers in Bihar are marginal in nature, extending financial support can also act as a catalyst to promote modern technology and inputs. Towards this, the State Government is giving different kinds of subsidies for seeds and agricultural implements, and credit support which cause increased productivity.
- Seed:
- The timely availability and quality of seeds play a crucial role in enhancing productivity of crops.
- The merit of hybrid seeds is that they are resilient to climate and yield-enhancing.
- The Bihar State Seed Corporation has set up infrastructural facilities for seed storage and processing to minimize the dependency on seed imports.
- The farmers are also being trained on the adoption of certified seeds.
- The Seed Replacement Rates (SRR) for kharif paddy which stood at 42.9 percent in 2016-17 decreased to 41.3 percent in 2018-19. However, it is yet to reach the target of 50 percent as per the Agricultural Road Map III.
- The SRR has been the highest in case of rabi maize, averaging at 86.5 percent in the last three years.
- The SRR for gram has increased from 3.6 percent in 2016-17 to 35.1 during 2018-19.
- For other crops, SRR has not reached optimum levels, but with increasing availability of certified seeds, the situation should improve in the coming years.
- Overall, the concerted efforts made by the State Government to stimulate use of certified seeds have yielded gains in both production and productivity.
- Fertilizer:
- The chemical fertilizers have become an integral input in augmenting crop productivity since the era of Green revolution. A number of scientific and technological innovations have led to the production of nutrient-rich fertilizers, which is crucial to increasing yields across varied crops and agro-climatic zones.
- There is adistinct pattern in the consumption of fertilizers during the kharif and rabi seasons. Overall, the consumption of fertilizers has been relatively higher during the rabi season for the last three years.
- Among all agricultural seasons, the consumption of urea has been the highest at 2183.7 thousand tonnes, accounting for 41.7 percent of the total fertilizer consumption during 2018-19.
- The consumption of NPK increased from 1510.39 thousand tonnes in 2016-17 to 1731.7 thousand tonnes in 2018-19.
- The data clearly shows that the growth rate in fertilizer consumption has reduced during the last three years, although there has been an increase in absolute amount.
- Agricultural Machinery:
- Growing population and increasing trend of diversification require the use of modern technology and implements to improve agricultural productivity.
- The use of modern agricultural machinery has the potential to augment efficiency of agricultural operations in different stages, such as sowing, cultivation and harvesting.
- The State Government is providing subsidy for purchase of power tillers, tractors, sprayers, power weeders and power threshers.
- The increasing emphasis on Zero-Tillage method is particularly beneficial for small and marginal farmers.
- The number of pumpsets bought through subsidy scheme substantially increased from 6818 in 2016-17 to 11,362 in 2018-19. On the other hand, a decrease in the number of power tillers has been observed during the same period.
- The decrease in use of manually operated tools and implements is a good sign, providing evidence for increasing mechanization of agriculture in the state.
- The state government has taken a new initiative to provide subsidy to the extent of 80 percent on machinery used for crop residue management.
- Power Use for Agricultural Sector:
- The availability of adequate and reliable power is crucial to energise pumpsets for irrigation and other machinery. Agriculture is hugely dependent on power for different operations, from sowing to harvesting.
- During 2013-14, the agricultural sector is estimated to have used 321.79 MU of energy; in 2018-19, it had increased to 726.71 MU.
- However, as a percentage of total energy consumption, it has gone down from 3.90 percent (2013-14) to 3.62 percent (2018-19).
- Unmetered and free power can lead to inefficient and misuse of energy. The State Government has renewed existing units of power generation, transmission, and distribution to meet the growing demand of power for productive uses.
- As outlined in the Agriculture Roadmap III (2017-22), the State Government is taking steps to ensure continuous supply of electricity by commissioning dedicated feeders for agriculture sector.
- Agricultural Credit:
- The advent of technology has led to increased demand for modern inputs which require credit support. Credit is an important input to accelerate production and productivity in agriculture.
- The main channels of disbursement of institutional credit to agriculture are commercial banks, cooperatives, and micro-finance institutions.
- Timely provision of institutional credit helps meet the expenses of working capital. In 2018-19, the gross flow of agricultural credit stood at Rs. 41,798 crore in Bihar, of which nearly 52.0 percent came from the commercial banks, followed by regional rural banks (41.3 percent) and central-co-operative banks (6.7 percent).
- Kisan Credit Card:
- 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, KCC scheme has been introduced for allied activities in agriculture such as dairy, poultry and fishery.
- 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.
- The demand for financial resources for cropping, farm investments, purchase of inputs and other machinery have been increasing in Bihar.
- Subsidy:
- The subsidies is the assistance given to farmers by the government for provision of inputs at reduced prices. It is a boon to the farmers, especially in incentivising certain crops. The input and diesel subsidies can greatly motivate the farmers to continue their cultivation.
- The Agriculture Input Subsidy Scheme provides farmers subsidy twice a year before sowing for adoption of organic vegetables.
- As per the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (micro irrigation), there is a provision for 55 percent subsidy to marginal farmers (those having landholding of less than one hectare) and 45 percent to those having land holdings over one hectare.
- The State government is providing additional top up subsidy to encourage use of micro irrigation system in Bihar.
- After adding additional top up, farmers of state get 90 percent subsidy on drip irrigation and 75 percent subsidy on sprinkler irrigation.
- In 2018-19, a total of Rs. 229.93 crore has been sanctioned as electricity subsidy by the energy department. The diesel subsidy up to Rs. 263.60 crore have been distributed in Bihar during 2018-19.
- Further, the State Government is providing subsidy of up to 80 percent 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.
- Storage and Warehouse:
- The warehouses in Bihar are being managed by the Bihar State Warehousing Corporation (BSWC) since its establishment in 1957 under the Agricultural Produce Corporation Act, 1956.
- Providing adequate storage, including sorting, grading units, cold storage units and warehouses are crucial to assist in post-harvest management of produce.
- As on March 2018-19, Bihar has a total warehousing capacity of around 5.21 lakh tonnes to store and preserve foodgrains.
- The annual capacity available was higher among own warehouses at 4.86 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, compared to the hired warehouses at 0.35 lakh tonnes.
- The percentage of utilization of hired warehouses was hundred for all the years. The utilization capacity among own warehouses stood at 3.48 lakh metric tonnes, which is about 71.6 percent of the total available capacity during 2018-19.
- The State Government is making considerable efforts to increase the storage capacity in Bihar through various storage, processing, and marketing schemes.
- The scope for food processing is huge in Bihar, because of the high production of foodgrains and horticulture crops.
- 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.
- The Bihar State Seed Corporation will set up a plant to control humidity in its warehouses to maintain the germination quality of seed.
- To develop horticultural sector, basic infrastructure support is being provided through construction of low-cost storage units, development of cold chain (for marketing of fresh fruit and vegetables), and on-farm collection, sorting, grading and packaging.
- Irrigation:
- The need for adequate and assured supply of water hardly needs any emphasis in times of adoption of high-yielding varieties, modern technology, fertilizer, and mechanized equipment for increasing production and productivity.
- In Bihar, the water area constitutes about 3.6 percent of the total geographical area.
- On an average, the state receives annual rainfall amounting to 1000 mms, bulk of which (around 85%) comes from the south-west monsoon.
- However, this is not adequate to water the entire farming activities in the state.
- The erratic rainfall patterns and recurring droughts leading to scarcity of water for irrigation have affected achieving higher productivity. Therefore, a well-planned irrigation system is needed to assist in stabilizing production, improving yield and cropping intensities.
- Indeed, in recent years, erratic rainfall patterns, recurrent droughts and over-exploitation of groundwater have emerged as major challenges to achieve water use efficiency in Bihar.
- Reducing the cost of accessing water for irrigation, especially for small and marginal farmers, can go a long way in improving their welfare.
- Further, improving water use efficiency is important to balance the environmental costs of groundwater usage.
- Government data shows that only 63% of the cropped area in Bihar is under irrigation.
- Field surveys, however, show that almost all cultivated area in Bihar’s Gangetic plains has access to irrigation with the possible exception of Tal and Diara areas. This was true even in 1997-98 when the World Bank undertook its Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS).
- The source-wise Gross Irrigated Area (GIA) in Bihar during 2017-18:
- The gross area irrigated in the state has increased to 54.14 lakhs during 2017-18, compared to 51.58 lakh hectares in 2011-12, showing an increase of only 4.7 percent.
- Tubewells are the largest source of irrigation in Bihar, contributing to about 63.1 of the total gross irrigated area in the state, while the second most important source is government canals (30.7 percent).
- The gross irrigated area under tanks increased from 0.74 lakh hectares in 2011-12 to about 1.05 lakh hectares in 2017-18, registering an annual growth rate of 7.25 percent.
- The growing share of tubewells in irrigation is of concern, because it leads to over-exploitation of groundwater and fall in water tables.
- Gross irrigated area as percentage of Gross cropped area (2011-12 to 2017-18):
- The ratio of gross irrigated area to gross cropped area has shown a steady increasing trend since 2013-14.
- During 2017-18, the share of gross irrigated area as percentage of gross cropped area stood at 71.9 percent, compared to 67.4 percent in 2011-12.
- Since agriculture is a state subject under the Indian constitution, the responsibility of spending on irrigation and water conservation lies with the State Governments.
- The total expenditure for irrigation development increased from Rs. 854.17 crore in 2013-14 to Rs. 1328.43 crore in 2018-19, recording an annual growth rate of 11.4 percent.
- The share of capital expenditure stood at 90.9 percent of the total expenditure. A significant part of the government spending for irrigation is capital expenditure for creation of infrastructure and other assets. The capital expenditure increased from Rs. 767.32 crore in 2013- 14 to Rs. 1207.57 crore in 2018-19.
- The increasing trend in capital expenditure in irrigation (especially over the last two years) signifies the high priority that the State Government has laid on developing irrigation infrastructure.
- Irrigation potential:
- It is the total area which can be irrigated from a project on its full utilization.
- Bihar, because of its geographical location, is well-endowed with water resources.
- However, erratic rainfall and its irregular spatial distribution is of concern for achieving stability in agricultural production.
- Therefore, investing in different irrigation schemes is crucial for agricultural growth.
- The irrigation schemes in Bihar can be broadly divided into major, medium, and minor irrigation schemes.
- Out of the ultimate irrigation potential of 117.54 lakh hectares in Bihar, the irrigation potential has been estimated to be 53.53 lakh hectares for major and medium irrigation schemes, while it is 64.01 lakh hectares from minor irrigation schemes.
- Further, the groundwater resource accounts for about 75.9 percent of ultimate irrigation potential.
- Status of Irrigation Potential in Bihar (2016-17 to 2018-19):
- The issues of heavy sedimentation and breach in canal irrigation system lead to under-utilisation of the created irrigation potential. Therefore, the State Government has undertaken various initiatives to restore the lost irrigation potential.
- In 2018-19, the Western Gandak Canal system, Eastern Kosi Canal System, Eastern Sone High Level Canal, Chausa Pump Canal scheme etc. The total irrigation potential restored under these schemes was 234.05 thousand hectares.
- In 2018-19, new irrigation potential was created by executing schemes such as Durgawati Reservoir Scheme, Kundhghat Reservoir Scheme, Sendhwa Check Dam in Jehanabad district, Weir on Panchane river in Nalanda district, Drainage and Irrigation Scheme of Danwar Lake, Western Gandak Canal System and Lavaichh Rampur Barrage. The total irrigation potential created under these schemes in 2018-19 was 12.75 thousand hectares.
- Without efficient utilisation of created irrigation potential, it is not possible to reap the benefits of investment in irrigation. The potential utilization efficiency is measured as the ratio of actual irrigation and created irrigation potential.
- It is satisfactory to note that the average level efficiency of major and medium irrigation projects in last three years has been much high at 86.0 percent.
- Area Brought under Irrigation through Minor Irrigation Sources (2013-14 to 2018-19):
- Under the minor irrigation projects, an area of 90.76 thousand hectares was brought under irrigation during 2018-19.
- Initiatives of Minor Water Resources Department:
- The Department of Minor Water Resources has taken up several programmes to extend irrigation schemes under Agricultural Road Map III (2017-22). The Department has planned to create an additional irrigation potential of 8.25 lakh hectares through surface irrigation-
- Ahar- Pyne (5.56 lakh ha),
- weir scheme (1.82 lakh ha) and
- lift irrigation scheme (0.88 lakh ha).
- Surface Irrigation Scheme: The Ahar Pyne Irrigation System, Weirs and Irrigation Ponds are renovated under three different sources of funding.
- State Plan : A total of 77 schemes have been completed in 2018-19, creating an additional irrigation potential of 14708 hectares.
- RIDF Scheme (NABARD): 202 Ahar Pyne schemes are executed under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), out of which 189 schemes have been completed. An irrigation potential of 60.55 thousand hectares has been created in 2019- 20.
- Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna (PMKSY) : A total of 44 Ahar-Pyne schemes in the districts of Nawada, Rohtas, Kaimur and Sitamarhi are being implemented and an irrigation potential of 18.85 thousand hectares has been created till date.
- Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Abhiyan:
- This scheme intends to assist in water conservation, storage and irrigation.
- All Public ahar-pynes and tanks will be renovated and check dams/weirs will be constructed on small rivers, nalas, etc. for collecting rain water during monsoon.
- These schemes will be completed in three years (from 2019-20 to 2021-22). An amount of Rs. 13610 crore has been allocated for completion of these schemes. In 2019- 20, tenders of 1413 Ahar-Pyne, and Pond schemes have been finalized for execution with an estimated cost of Rs. 978 crore.
- Ground Water Irrigation Scheme: At present, a total of 5183 state tubewells schemes are functional, out of 10,240 tubewells in Bihar.
- Bihar Shatabdi Nalkup Yojana:
- The State Government provides grants up to a maximum of Rs 15,000 for 70-meter deep and Rs 35,000 for 100-meter deep tubewell to farmers.
- In addition, 50 percent of the cost of motor pump set is also provided, subject to a maximum of Rs 10,000.
- All the grants are transferred through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme. Till date, about 31,468 private tubewells have been established by farmers.
- Telemetry Scheme (Automatic Digital Water Level Recorder) : A telemetry instrument has been installed at 564 places, of which 539 systems are already functional.
- Tubewell Ownership: All the state tubewells have been transferred to Gram Panchayats (GP) for operation and maintenance. The GPs have been empowered to collect revenue and fix irrigation rates.
- A revenue of Rs. 21.25 lakh has been collected by the GPs in 2018-19.
- The Department of Minor Water Resources has taken up several programmes to extend irrigation schemes under Agricultural Road Map III (2017-22). The Department has planned to create an additional irrigation potential of 8.25 lakh hectares through surface irrigation-
- The participatory irrigation system has provided impetus for the farmers to be involved in various aspects of irrigation system, particularly water distribution.
- The State Government is focused on participatory irrigation management so as to create a sense of ownership of water resources among the users, promote economy in water use and achieve equity in water distribution.
- At present, the State Government has adopted an ‘Integrated Water Management System’ which encompasses the major objects of water in dry land areas, recharge of groundwater and soil conservation. In addition, the system also encourages judicious use of water resources to ensure agricultural growth in the state.
