Agriculture and Allied sectors:
- Agriculture is the mainstay of economies such as Bihar, underpinning their food security, employment, and rural development.
- Over the last two decades, the economy of Bihar has undergone a structural change, as evident in the shift in the sectoral composition of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) from agriculture to service sector.
- The relative share of agricultural sector in state’s GSDP declined from 35.8 percent in 2000-01 to around 20 percent currently due to the increase in share of Tertiary Sector.
- The contribution of agriculture and allied sectors in Gross State Value Added (GSVA) in Bihar for the period 2013-14 to 2018-19:
- However, its continued importance lies in the fact that more than 70 percent of the population is engaged in agricultural operations.
- 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.
- Since the bifurcation of the state in 2000, the bulk of the mineral resources are currently in the state of Jharkhand. Therefore, a vibrant agricultural system forms a crucial part of the development strategy of overall economic growth in Bihar.
- Achieving high and sustained growth in agricultural sector is crucial to creating both on-farm and off-farm employment opportunities and improving income, particularly for the poor.
- Despite the constraints of finite land resource, fragmented land holdings, and erratic rainfall, the production performance of crop and horticulture has been encouraging.
- In 2019-20, foodgrain production in Bihar stood at 162 lakh tonnes.
- Livestock, fisheries, and aquaculture together contributed about 7.10 percent of Gross value added in agriculture sector in Bihar during 2018-19.
- The total fish production in Bihar increased from 4.79 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 to 6.02 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, registering a compound annual growth rate of 6.22 percent.
- Located in the sub-tropical region of the temperate zone, Bihar is situated between 240 20′ N to 270 31′ N latitude and 830 19′ E to 880 17′ E longitude.
- The Ganges divides the state into two halves —
- Northern Bihar, which is densely populated and mostly involved in agricultural activities, while the Southern Bihar has a mix of agricultural and industrial activities.
- The Northern Bihar receives its water from the Himalayan rivers and is flood-prone, while the Southern Bihar is mostly drought prone, and relies on rivers from Central India.
- Based on rainfall, temperature, soil and terrain, the state is divided into three agro-climatic zones-
- North-West alluvial plain,
- North-East alluvial plain and
- South Bihar alluvial plain.
- Compared to the Southern part, the alluvial plains of the north western and north-eastern regions receive higher rainfall.
- As a land-locked state, Bihar has around 8.6 percent of India’s population, while its agricultural land area is only 3.8 percent of India.
- Some challenges to agricultural sector in Bihar includes the rising population, limited arable land, fragmented land holdings, high cost of inputs, erratic rainfall, floods and land degradation etc.
- To reach the agricultural potential, the State Government has initiated several programmes under the Agriculture Roadmap for development of crop, livestock, fisheries, dairy and irrigation sector in Bihar.
- The main objective of the Agriculture Roadmap of the State Government lies in creating an enabling environment to achieve profitable and sustainable farming to ensure food and nutritional security to the growing population.
- The State Government is undertaking various schemes to promote climate-resilient agricultural practices, provide technological assistance and improve access to modern inputs to ensure livelihood security to the farming community.
Public Expenditure in Agricultural Sector:
- Given that the multiplier effects of agriculture on poverty reduction is large, the State Government has allocated substantial financial resources to promote sustainable agricultural growth through targeted investments, infrastructure development and incentive schemes in Bihar.
- The Agriculture Roadmap III (2017-22) has allocated a sum of Rs. 1.54 lakh crore for development of agriculture and allied sectors, which includes projects to strengthen irrigation, flood protection, food processing, and dairy development.
- The public spending on agricultural sector will enhance the adoption of high-yielding varieties of seeds, modern technology and other implements needed to improve productivity.
- In Bihar Budget 2021-22, the state has allocated 3.7% of its total expenditure towards agriculture and allied activities. This is significantly lower than the average allocation for agriculture by states (6.3%).
- The overall public expenditure on agriculture and allied sectors in Bihar increased from Rs. 3615 crore in 2014-15 to Rs. 6,866 crore in 2020-21. However, its overall share in total economic services has been decreasing.
- There has been a spurt in expenditure for animal husbandry from Rs. 156 crore in 2014-15 to Rs. 451 crore in 2018-19.
- The public expenditure from state budget for agricultural research and education has been on a decline during the last five years. One of the reasons for this could be conversion of Rajendra Agriculture University to Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University, Pusa.
Land Resources:
- The land resources form a basis of production of food, fodder, and fibre in any economy to enable expansion of economic, social, and human activity.
- With increasing demand and competing uses of land for both agriculture and non-agricultural purposes, land is becoming increasingly scarce for cultivation. Further, increasing population, migration, deforestation, soil degradation and risks of climate change pose challenge to sustainable management of land resources.
- The amount of land is finite, but the demands for alternative uses (other than agriculture) are growing, calling for proper planning for optimal use of land resources.
- Pattern of Land Utilization:
- The overall pattern of land utilization has largely remained unchanged in Bihar during the period 2015-16 to 2017-18.
- Agricultural land constitutes a substantial part of Bihar’s total geographical area, as nearly 56.0 percent is under net sown area (52.42 lakh hectares) in 2017-18.
- At national level, the net area sown is 43% of the total geographical area.
- The gross cropped area was 75.25 lakh hectares in 2017-18, implying a cropping intensity of 144 percent.
- The land under miscellaneous tree crops amounted to 2.48 lakh hectares, which is 2.6 percent of the total area in the state; while permanent pastures account for about 0.2 percent of the total geographical area in 2017-18
- The total unculturable land slightly decreased from 41.55 lakh hectares in 2015-16 to 41.18 lakh hectares in 2017-18, accounting for 44.0 percent of total geographical area.
- The gradual decrease in culturable waste could be partly due to increasing pressure on land for both agricultural and non-agricultural purposes.
- Around 11 percent of the total geographical area falls under total fallow land.
- The land put to non-agricultural uses has marginally increased from 17.13 lakh hectares to 17.18 lakh hectares during 2015-16 to 2017-18.
- This could be largely attributed to increasing urbanization, industrialization, infrastructure development and increasing settlements leading to conversion of land to nonagricultural uses.
- At the district level. there is wide variations in terms of land use pattern. The varying agro-ecological conditions, climatic factors, and soil quality are contributing factors to deciding the pattern of land use in Bihar.
- Landholdings in Bihar:
- More than 85 percent of the population live in rural areas in Bihar, as per Census 2011, and their most important source of livelihood is their own landholdings.
- However, there is growing evidence indicating very small size of landholdings in India, and Bihar is no exception to this scenario.
- The total number of operational holdings in Bihar increased from 16.19 million in 2010-11 to 16.41 million in 2015-16, an increase of 1.4 percent.
- The small and marginal landholdings which are less than two hectares, account for nearly 97 percent of the landholdings in Bihar, operating about 76 percent of the total area of operational holdings in the state during 2015-16. The marginal landholdings have shown an increase of 1.5 percent between 2010-11 and 2015-16.
- About 3.0 percent of the households have semi-medium and medium size landholdings, operating an area of 1507 thousand hectares, accounting for 23.3 percent of the total area.
- 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 gender-wise distribution of landholdings in Bihar:
- The average size of landholdings stood at 0.39 hectares for both males and females.
- Interestingly, the average size of landholding for marginal, semi-medium and large size class was higher for females than for males.
- The total operated area in Bihar was higher for males at 5.54 million hectares, while it was 0.92 million hectares for females across all class groups.
- The data reveals that only 14.2 percent of the total land holdings are owned by females in Bihar, suggesting gender bias in land rights in Bihar.
Production Trends of Crop and Horticulture:
- The rich Gangetic plains, fertile alluvial soil, and abundant water resources provide impetus for a diversified farming system in the state, producing both food and non-food crops.
- The main crops such as rice, wheat, and maize, along with vegetables and fruits are cultivated across the three distinct agricultural seasons of Kharif (June-September), Rabi (October-March) and Zaid (AprilJune).
- The agricultural production in the state is largely dependent on south-west monsoon. The expansion of irrigation facilities has played a crucial role in diversifying agricultural output through adoption of HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and modern machinery.
- Crop Pattern:
- The cropping pattern in the state is largely determined by biophysical and climatic factors, irrigation, technological adoption and socio-economic capability of the farmers.
- The pattern of land use and cropping system have implications not only for food and nutritional security, but also for environmental sustainability.
- The agro-climatic and topographical factors in Bihar have led to cultivation of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fibre, and cash crops.
- Cereals dominate the cropping pattern in the state, occupying more than 86 percent of the gross cropped area. Within cereals, rice and wheat together contribute more than 70 percent of the total gross cropped area.
- During the last four years, the area under pulses in gross cropped area has been declining, though there has been a revival in 2018-19.
- Both oilseeds and fibre crops have seen a steady decline in their share in gross cropped area in the last five years.
- The large share of foodgrains in the total gross cropped area at 94.0 percent in 2018-19 is indicative of the subsistence nature of agriculture in the state.
- As an important cash crop, sugarcane occupies 3.3 percent of the gross cropped area in 2017-18.
- Since the crop production is mainly dependent on monsoon, stepping up irrigation facilities and other infrastructure can go a long way in bringing more land under cultivation in Bihar.
- Trends in Production and Productivity:
- The total foodgrain production in Bihar stood at 162 lakh tonnes in 2019-20 (fall nearly 1% from 2018-19), compared to 147.50 lakh tonnes in 2014-15, recording a growth rate of 4.14 percent
- As a traditional foodgrain economy, the major food crops grown in Bihar include rice, wheat, maize and pulses.
- The production of cereals recorded an increase from 143.21 lakh tonnes in 2017- 18 to 158.58 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, an increase of 4.21 percent.
- A large part of this increase was due to its higher productivity, which grew from 2328 kg per hectare in 2014-15 to 2636 kg per hectare in 2018-19, registering a growth of 4.31 percent.
- Also, the surge in wheat and maize crop impacted cereal growth.
- Wheat:
- The production of wheatincreased from a modest quantum of 35.70 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to about 64.66 lakh tonnes in 2018-19.
- Investing in mechanization of farms, early sowing and increasing seed replacement rates can accentuate wheat productivity in the state.
- Maize:
- the production of maize increased from 24.79 lakh tonnes to 31.94 lakh tonnes between 2014-15 to 2018-19.
- The fertile Gangetic plains, and use of hybrid seeds have enabled achieving higher yield in maize.
- Though the area under maize has steadily increased in Bihar, there are considerable fluctuations in yield leading to instability in production.
- Wheat:
- Rice:
- With respect to rice also, 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 percent from 2525 kg per hectare in 2014-15 to 1948 kg per hectare in 2018-19.
- 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.
- Rice is one of the most water intensive crops, and persistent drought or deficient rain can impact its yield.
- In flood-prone areas, poor drainage and water logging can shrink its production.
- The State Government has made significant efforts through promotion of Zero Tillage methods and System of Rice Intensification technique to increase rice production.
- The adoption of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has augmented productivity of rice with higher water efficiency and greater resistance to environmental stresses.
- To enhance the productivity of cereals, the State Government is making efforts through:
- modernization of farms,
- technological adoption,
- investment in irrigation infrastructure and
- abating pest attack.
- Pulses:
- The production of pulses stood at 4.53 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, growing at a rate of 1.89 percent per annum during 2014-15 to 2018-19.
- Much of this increase was due to growth in Rabi pulses, mainly contributed by lentil (36.5 percent), summer moong (26.3 percent) and gram (16.0 percent).
- The production of Rabi pulses grew at a rate of 2.71 percent, with an average productivity of 897 kg per hectare over the five-year period.
- In case of kharif pulses, there was an increase in production from 22.01 lakh tonnes in 2017-18 to 23.22 lakh tonnes in 2018-19; while its productivity stood at an average of 843.2 kg per hectare during the same period.
- 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.
- Not only does it form an important component of nutrition, it is also crucial for achieving ecological sustainability owing to their key role in improving soil fertility.
- In Bihar, pulses are largely grown under rainfed conditions and, therefore, are prone to high fluctuations in yield.
- Oilseeds:
- Though the production of total oilseeds declined marginally from 1.27 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to 1.25 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, groundnut and mustard showed higher production levels in 2018-19, compared to 2014-15, recording an increase of 9.7 percent and 2.7 percent respectively.
- The productivity of oilseeds increased from 1093 kg per hectare in 2014-15 to 1247 kg per hectare in 208-19, recording a growth of 4.0 percent per annum. Except linseed, groundnut, and sunflower, all other oilseeds registered growth in their productivity level.
- Despite being sensitive to climate, mustard/rapeseed registered the highest growth in productivity, growing at a rate of 5.0 percent per annum during 2014-15 to 2018-19. This was possible due to improvement in seed quality and irrigation facilities.
- Fibre crops:
- As regards fibre crops (jute and mesta), there was a drop in production during the last five years, due to decline in both area and productivity.
- Sugarcane:
- Sugarcane is one of the most important commercial crops of Bihar and provides raw materials to one of the largest agro-based industries. Being a labour-intensive crop, it generates a significant amount of employment.
- Sugarcane is grown in approximately 6 percent of the total area under cultivation in Bihar.
- Sugarcane production in the state for 2018-19 stood at 182.85 lakh MT.
- The productivity of sugarcane crop decreased from 69.06 ton per hectare in 2017-18 to 60.15 ton per hectare in 2018-19.
- Clearly, there is scope for improving sugarcane yield in Bihar. Despite adoption of technology, investments in irrigation, and incentives from the State Government, the fluctuations in yield and production of sugarcane are a cause of concern.
- Thus, assessing the trends in production and productivity of important crops in Bihar, it emerges that there is scope for increasing the yield for foodgrains, in both rainfed and irrigated areas of the state.
- Growth in production in crop sector in Bihar owes a great deal to expansion in productivity, rather than increases in area, since the scope for any additional land for cultivation is very limited in the state. Growing population has accentuated the need to step up production in the state to meet the needs of food and nutritional security.
- Further, the district-wise variation in performance of the production and productivity.
- The top three districts with respect to:
- Rice production are — Rohtas (7.92 lakh tonnes), Aurangabad (5.42 lakh tonnes) and Kaimur (3.54 lakh tonnes).
- Wheat production level are — Rohtas (5.18 lakh tonnes), Muzaffarpur (3.36 lakh tonnes) and Sitamarhi (3.21 lakh tonnes) in 2017-18.
- The top three districts in terms of wheat productivity are — Madhepura (3805 kg per hectare), Begusarai (3775 kg per hectare) and Rohtas (3680 kg per hectare).
- Maize production are — Katihar (4.76 lakh tonnes), Purnea (3.44 lakh tonnes) and Araria (3.28 lakh tonnes).
- Pulse production level are — Patna (0.68 lakh tonnes), Aurangabad (0.31 lakh tonnes) and Nalanda (0.28 lakh tonnes)
- Similarly, there exists considerable variation in productivity of sugarcane across the districts.
- 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 percent of the total sugarcane production in the state.
- The top three districts with respect to:
- 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. The increasing diversification provides opportunities for absorption of labour and earning remunerative returns to the farmers.
- The horticultural products form an important component of food and nutritional security in Bihar.
- To meet the growing demand for affordable and high-quality fruits in local, national, and international markets, this sector is experiencing substantial competition.
- Since horticultural crops are highly perishable and seasonal in nature, they require adequate post-harvest infrastructure.
- Fruits:
- The total production of fruits in Bihar increased from 41.05 lakh tonnes in 2016-17 to 42.29 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, registering an annual growth rate of 4.9 percent.
- The state is performing well in 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 increase in both its acreage and productivity.
- The productivity of litchi in the last three years averaged to 7.75 tonnes per hectare.
- The leading producer of litchi was Muzaffarpur producing 48 percent of the total litchi production.
- Substantial increases in production was observed for banana (2.1 percent), papaya (4.1 percent), mango (3.5 percent), guava (8.2 percent), watermelon (10.7 percent), and muskmelon (11.8 percent) during 2016-17 to 2018-19.
- The top three mango-producing districts are Darbhanga, East Champaran, and Muzaffarpur, together contributed nearly 24.8 percent of the total mango production in the state during 2018-19.
- The shahi litchi variety and malda of mango from Bihar are widely known for their flavour and taste.
- Vegetables:
- In 2018-19, a total of 166.03 lakh tonnes of vegetables was produced in an area of 8.57 lakh hectares.
- During 2016-17 to 2018-19, the total area under the vegetables increased from about 8.28 lakh hectares to 8.57 lakh hectares, at an annual growth rate of about 1.99 percent.
- Correspondingly, the total vegetable production increased from 143.62 lakh tonnes to 166.03 lakh tonnes, recording an annual growth rate of 7.52 percent. The growth in vegetable production is primarily led by growth in productivity at the rate of 18.81 percent.
- Over the period 2016-17 to 2018-19, potato accounted for nearly half (49.11 percent) of the total vegetable production in an area of 3.20 lakh hectares.
- Between 2016-19, the yield was the highest in case of potato (23.5 metric tonne per hectare), while it was the lowest for pea (6.0 metric tonne per hectare).
- As noted 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.
- Setting up of low-cost cold storage units and cool chain for marketing of fruits and vegetables have resulted in better management of horticulture produce and minimize their wastages.
- The increasing awareness on adoption of new technology, high yielding varieties, usage of quality planting material, protected farming, micro irrigation methods and banana tissue culture plantlets have enabled growth in this sector in the recent period
- Given the negative effects of using chemical pesticides in vegetable cultivation, the State Government is giving priority to promote organic farming in fruits and vegetables and setting up of government nurseries to develop mother plants.
Government initiatives:
- The State Government is implementing Agriculture Roadmap since 2008. It has led to laudable achievements in agriculture sector.
- 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.
- Under the Chief Minister Horticulture Mission, there is a provision of grants for promoting roof top horticulture in five cities of the state, including Patna.
- Out of the total allocated amount of Rs. 4126.31 lakh, an expenditure of Rs. 3569.86 lakh has been incurred under the scheme.
- The Bihar State Organic Mission is being implemented in 12 districts of the state, with a total approved sum of Rs. 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 adoption of organic seeds.
- Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana is a centrally sponsored scheme, which aims to increase the income of farmers by providing income support of Rs. 6000 per year. This support will be provided to all farmer families in three equal instalments of Rs. 2000 every four months.
- 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 project broadly covers two components:
- Firstly, the demonstration of already developed suitable climate resilient and futuristic cropping system (Crop cycle) modules in 8 districts.
- Secondly, Strategic Research for future germplasm, cropping system (crop cycle) and Climate Change.
- It will be implemented by Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University, Bihar Agriculture University, ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region and CIMMYT-BISA. The State government has sanctioned Rs. 60 crore for the project for five years
- 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 subsidy of Rs. 160 per quintal (for SC/ST Rs. 200 per quintal) to farmers on purchase of certified sugarcane seed of 16 selected varieties.
