[67th BPSC] Bihar: Agriculture and Allied sector-I

Agriculture and Allied sector

Abstract:

• In order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals of 2030, the expansion of agricultural and allied sectors is critical for Bihar. This is because of the fact that more than half of its workforce is engaged in agricultural sector for livelihood.
• The State Government is implementing various schemes under the Agriculture Roadmap since 2008 for augmenting agricultural productivity and farmers income. As a result of various initiatives, the state has won 5 Krishi Karman Puraskar since 2012.
• Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, the robust performance of agricultural sector in Bihar is notable.
  • The primary sector, which includes crop, livestock, forestry and logging, fishing and aquaculture has grown at a pace of 2.1 percent during the last five years (2016-17 to 2020-21).
• The Gross Cropped Area was 72.97 lakh hectares in 2019-20, with a cropping intensity of 144 percent. Foodgrain production increased from 16.31 lakh tonnes in 2018-19 to 17.95 lakh tonnes in 2020-21, recording an annual growth rate of 4.9 percent. In 2020-21, the total expenditure for development irrigation stood at Rs. 2114.87 crore.
• ‘Har Khet Tak Sinchai Ka Pani‘ is a flagship initiative of the State Government under the Saat Nishchay-2, which aims to provide assured irrigation to all the cultivated land in the state.
• The State Government has taken up the Climate Resilient Agriculture Programme in all the districts of the state to deal with issues pertaining to climate change which has proven beneficial for improvements in crop productivity and profitability of agriculture.
• Since 2019, the Department of Agriculture has started major digital initiatives in collaboration with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
  • Bihan, a new mobile App has been started which integrates various ongoing digital applications on a single platform. It is now in government-to-government mode which is to be expanded from government to farmers in the coming year with the launch of digital farmer services.

Introduction:

• In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, a strong agricultural and allied sector helps like Bihar even more, where more than 80 percent of the population reside in rural areas.
• Achieving high and sustainable growth in the agricultural sector is essential to create employment opportunities, both inside and outside agriculture, and improve rural incomes, specially for the poor. Not only is this sector vital for increasing rural incomes, but also for ensuring food security and regulating food prices in the economy.
• Since agriculture has a large multiplier effect on poverty reduction, the State Government has allocated considerable financial resources to promote agricultural growth through investments in irrigation, technology, mechanization, input supply, and infrastructure development in the state.
• Several programmes have been outlined in the Agriculture Roadmap Ill (2017-2022) to increase farmers’ income, ensure and nutritional security, provide gainful employment, and encourage sustainable use of natural resources.
• Bihar is well-endowed with natural resources, especially fertile soil and water which together support a diversified cropping system.
  • The river Ganga divides the state into two halves: Northern Bihar, which gets its water from the Himalayan rivers, is prone to flooding; and the Southern region, which is largely prone to drought, relies on central Indian rivers.
  • The Gangetic plains are loaded with fertile alluvial soil, spread across three agro-climatic zones.
• Though the topography and water resources are favourable for crop cultivation in Bihar, the issues of climatic change, high input cost, small landholding, and population pressure on land have added stress to this sector in recent years.
• The primary sector, which includes crop, livestock, forestry and logging, and fishing and aquaculture has grown at a pace of 2.1 percent during the last five years (2016-17 to 2020-21).
  • Specifically, livestock and fisheries are two of the state’s most important sectors driving agricultural growth in the state. These two sectors grew at a rate of 10.0 percent and 7.0 percent, respectively in the last five years.
  • Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, the robust performance of agricultural sector in Bihar is notable.
  • In the last five years (2016-17 to 2020-21), the contribution of the agriculture and allied to State’s Gross State Value Added (GSVA) has remained nearly unchanged around 20 percent.
  • Among the sub-sectors, the share of the crop sector in GSVA has been the largest at 9.3 percent, followed by livestock (6.6 percent) during 2020-21.
  • Clearly, a rising percentage of livestock and fisheries has compensated for a diminishing share of the crop sector in GSVA in the years.
• Given that the state’s mineral resources remained in Jharkhand after the state’s partition in 2000, the expansion of the agriculture and allied sectors is vital for state’s development. Its significant forward and backward linkages contribute to its role in driving growth, creating jobs, and reducing poverty in the entire economy.
• The Crop Sector, which accounted for 48.7 percent of the agricultural GSDP in 2020-21, has the highest share across all sub-sectors.
• The livestock sector has also grown in importance, contributing to 34.7 percent of the state’s agricultural GSDP in 2020-21

Land Resources

• Bihar is a landlocked state in the eastern region of India, sharing its borders with West Bengal in the Uttar Pradesh in the West, Nepal in the north, and Jharkhand in the south.
• The State is classified Into three agro-cIimatic zones, based on rainfall, temperature, soil, and terrain —
  • North- West alluvial plain,
  • North-East alluvial plain, and
  • South Bihar alluvial plain.
• The state frequently faces either drought or food conditions, thereby affecting agricultural production.
• Also, more than 90 percent of the landholdings are small and marginal in nature, which is a cause of concern for the viability of farming and adoption of modern technology.
• Also, the states population density is 1106 people per square kilometer, compared to only 382 at the national level.
• Bihar has around 8.6 percent of India’s population, while its agricultural land area is only 3.8 percent of India. As a result, the state’s agriculture is under significant population pressure.
• Pattern of Land Utilization

• • The pattern of land use in the state has remained almost unaltered over the last few years (2017-18 to 2019-20).
  • Bihar’s total geographical area stands at 9.4 million hectares.
    • The percentage of area under forests in total land area is constant at 6.6 percent. The area under barren and unculturable land (4.6 percent), land under tree crops (2.7 percent), culturable waste land (0.5 percent), and land under permanent pastures (0.2 percent) have remained nearly the same over the three-year period (2017-18 to 2019-20).
  • 
  • The Net Sown Area (NSA) was 50.77 lakh hectares in 2019-20, with a Gross Cropped area of 72.97 lakh hectares, reflecting a cropping intensity of 1.44.
  • The area under uncultivated land increased slightly from 41.18 lakh hectares in 2017-18 to 42.82 lakh hectares in 2019-20, accounting for 45.8 percent of the total area.
  • Land is a scarce resource and the increasing population is putting further pressure on land for agricultural and non-agricultural purposes, as reflected in the land utilization pattern in the state.
  • The net sown area was more than 80 percent in the districts Of Buxar (85.1 percent) and Bhojpur (81.3 percent) in 2019-20.
  • The cropping intensity which represents the ratio of gross cropped area to net sown area was the highest in Sheohar (1.91) and the lowest in Gaya (1.04).
  • The area under forests is concentrated in the districts of Kaimur (1.13 lakh hectares), Jamui (0.93 lakh hectares), and Nawada (0.64 lakh hectares), constituting about 43.4 percent of Bihar’s total area under forests.
  • The districts of Sheohar, Araria, Madhubani, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, and Muzaffarpur have more than 5 percent of their total area under tree crops in 2019-20.
• Landholding Pattern in Bihar

• • As India’s third most populous state, Bihar has a population density of 1106 people per square kilometre, as per Census 2011. As such, there is a concern about land scarcity in the face of rising population in the state.
  • Also, the demand for land for uses other than agriculture has also increased in recent years, and so has the fragmentation of landholdings.
  • In 2015-16, Bihar had a share of small and marginal landholdings of 97.0 percent, while for India, the share was lesser at 86.1 percent.
  • In 2015-16, the average landholding size in Bihar was 0.39 hectares. The average size of the operational area for each landholding category has stayed nearly the same between census years.
  • The total operated area grew from 6.39 million hectares in 2010-11 to 6.46 million hectares in 2015-16.

Crop Sector

• The rich biodiversity and favourabIe agro-climatic conditions have made a diversified cropping pattern possible in Bihar.
• Cropping Pattern in Bihar (2016-17 to 2020-21):
  • 
• The principal agricultural crops (paddy, wheat, jute, maize, sugarcane, and Oilseeds) are grown across the three agricultural Seasons — Kharif, Rabi and Zaid.
  • The cropping pattern has remained nearly the same over the last five years (2016-17 to 2020-21), with cereal crops accounting for more than 85 percent of the total cropped area, followed by pulses (6.6 percent) and Sugarcane (3.3 percent).
• Foodgrains (cereals and pulses) together accounted for about 95 percent of the gross cropped area in the state in 2020-21.
• Given that pulses play an important role in nutritional security and soil conservation, the State Government is focusing on the scheme of ‘Targeting Rice Fallow Areas (TRFA)‘ to encourage cultivation Of pulses in those areas.
• Trends in Production and Productivity of Crops
  • Production level of major crops in Bihar:
    • 
  • Productivity level of major crops in Bihar:
    • 
  • The total foodgrain production increased from 16.31 lakh tonnes in 2018-19 to 17.95 lakh tonnes in 2020-21, recording a growth rate of 4.91 percent.
    • For cereals, production increased from 15.86 lakh tonnes in 2018-19 to 17.57 lakh tonnes in 2020-21 , recording a growth rate of 5.27 percent.
  • Also, the productivity of cereals increased from 2636 kg per hectare in 2018-19 to 2961 kg hectare in 2020-21, which can be largely attributed to technological improvements, assured Irrigation, supply of certified seeds, and provision of extension services.
    • Among the major cereals, increase in production was noticed for rice, maize and wheat.
    • The growth rates for production were rice (9.6 percent), maize (5.0 percent) and wheat (1.3 percent) in the last three years (2018-19 to 2020-21).
  • Much of the growth in the production of rice and maize can be attributed to increasing productivity, not to the expansion of acreage.
    • In 2020-21, the productivity of rice and maize stood at 2447 kg per hectare and 5229 kg per respectively.
  • The increasing trend in production continued in the case of coarse cereals as well, which registered a growth rate or 4.7 percent during the last three years with its production at 3.55 lakh in 2020-21.
    • The prominent coarse cereals in Bihar are jowar and bajra, which grew at a rate of 31.1 percent and 16.4 percent, respectively in the last three years.
    • However, the declining trend in production of pulses is a cause of concern. Fortunately, the kharif pulses such as urad, moong, and ghagra registered a positive growth in production.
    • The overall productivity of kharif pulses increased to 896 kg per hectare in 2020-21 from 793 kg per hectare in 2018-19 , indicating a growth rate of 6.3 percent.
  • There has not been much difference in oilseed production in the State, which averaged at 0.12 lakh tonne per year during 2018-19 to 2020-21.
    • Oilseeds such as castor seed (0.47 percent), sunflower (0.32 percent), safflower (0.12 percent), sesame (0.06 percent), and groundnut (0.05 percent) recorded positive growth rates in productivity in the last three years.
  • The State Government is making concerted efforts to increase the acreage under pulses and oilseeds by facilitating irrigation access and supply of quality seeds to cultivators.
    • In the last three years, the production growth for fiber crops and Sugarcane has been negative.
  • Since Bihar’s agriculture relies heavily on rainfall, a decrease in rainfall or a delay in monsoon might impact crop yields. To provide assured irrigation facilities, the State Government has a number of programmes in place.
  • Apart from expansion in irrigation coverage, the increased use of agricultural machinery, adoption of technology and high-quality seeds have led to substantial improvements in crop production and productivity in the state.
• District-wise Trends in Production and Productivity of Selected Crops:
  • The trends in area, production, and productivity of major crops such as rice, wheat, maize, pulses, and sugarcane at the district-level in Bihar for 2019-20 and 2020-21 are presented Appendix (Tables A3.3, A3.4, A3.5 and A3.6 respectively). The tables also present district-wise shares in total area and production, plus productivity rankings.
  • Rice:
    • As an important crop grown in the Kharif season, rice is the staple food crop in Bihar.
    • In terms of production, the leading districts are Rohtas (9.5 lakh tonnes), Aurangabad (6.8 lakh tonnes) and West Champaran (6 lakh tonnes), which together accounted for 30.2 percent of the total rice production in the state in 2020-21.
    • Considering the level of productivity of in 2020-21 , the leading districts are West Champaran (4620 kg per hectare), Rohtas (4370 kg per hectare), and Aurangabad (3803 kg per hectare).
    • Overall, the rice production has improved because of the efforts of the State Government towards achieving technological breakthroughs, such as the SRI (System of Ricc Intensification) technology and zero tillage methods.
    • The State Government has encouraging cultivation of short-duration and drought-resistant varieties of rice as well.
  • Wheat:
    • As an important wheat-growing State, Bihar has substantial potential for increasing its productivity. In 2020-21, the leading districts in wheat productivity are Begusarai (3641 kg per hectare), Saran (3605 kg per hectare), and Rohtas (3560 kg per hectare).
    • In terms of production, the leading districts are Rohtas (6.88 lakh tonnes), Muzaffarpur (3.9 lakh tonnes) and Bhojpur (3.71 lakh tonnes), which together accounted for 21.8 percent of the total wheat production in the state in 2020-21.
    • In some districts, low farm mechanization, low seed replacement rates, and disease infestation have led to poor wheat yield in recent years.
  • Maize:
    • Bihar is one of the major maize growing states in the country, where the productivity of rabi and summer maize is fairly high.
      • Maize crop is predominantly grown in the districts of Katihar (6.86 lakh tonnes), Purnea (4.47 lakh tonnes), and Begusarai (317 lakh tonnes), as per production levels in 2020-21.
    • The highest productivity for crop was recorded in Araria (9419 kg per hectare), followed by Purnea (9066 kg per hectare) and Katihar (8201 kg hectare).
    • The State Government provides certified seeds for promoting high yielding varieties of maize in the state.
  • Pulses:
    • The nutritional contents of pulses and their role in maintaining soil fertility have made it one of the most important crops in Bihar
    • In 2020-21, the leading districts for pulse production are Patna (0.60 lakh tonnes), followed by Nalanda (0.29 lakh tonnes), and Aurangabad (0.23 lakh tonnes), together accounting for nearly 29.7 percent of the total pulse production in the state.
    • The highest productivity was recorded in Jehanabad at 1452 kg per hectare.
    • Various targeted efforts are being made to support pulse production in the State. The State Government is also promoting mechanization and grading of pulse produce to reduce their post –harvest losses,
  • Sugarcane:
    • Sugarcane is the primary input for sugar factories and, in Bihar, this agro-processing sector not only provides economic benefits to farmers who grow the crop, but also provides direct and indirect employment benefits in rural areas.
    • As per the estimates of the Department of Sugarcane of the State Government, the total sugarcane production stood at 108.55 lakh tonnes in 2020-21.
    • Sugarcane production varies significantly among Bihar’s districts. The district of West Champaran ranks first in terms of production, contributing more than 53.4 percent (58.02 lakh tonnes) of the state’s total sugarcane produce in 2020-21, Gopalganj (11.86 lakh tonnes), East Champaran (8.90 lakh tonnes), and Muzaffarpur (5.84 lakh tonnes) are the other main Sugarcane producer in the State.
    • In sugar mill area, the highest sugarcane yield was 52.55 tonnes per hectare.
    • Sugarcane production is highly sensitive to availability of water and is affected by issues of water logging and inefficient water use in rainfed circumstances.
    • The State Government is making efforts to enhance investments in irrigation and technology to enhance sugarcane production in the state.
    • The Mukhyamantri Ganna Vikas Programme is a significant incentive scheme which aims to distribute subsidized certified seeds of sugarcane to farmers, selected through the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
      • This scheme gives a subsidy of Rs 180 per quintal (Rs. 210 per quintal for SC/ST) on the procurement of certified sugarcane seed for chosen varieties, up to a maximum of 2.5 acres.
      • In 2020-21 , agalnst a total allotment of Rs. 1313.00 lakh, Rs. 387.44 lakh was disbursed under the Mukhyamantri Ganna Vikas Programme.
      • It covered primarily three-tier seed production, distribution, and farmers’ training.
  • Horticulture:
    • Bihar’s agricultural growth has also been fueled by the horticulture sector, which comprises fruits, vegetables, and flowers. In recent years, this sector has gained popularity with the growing demand for its products.
    • The State Government has encouraged productlon in horticulture through creation of storage facilities for perishable products and promoting adoption of technology.
  • Fruits:
    • In 2020-21 , the total fruit production in the state stood at 50.02 lakh tonnes grown in an area of 3.74 lakh hectares.
    • The production of 9 major fruits in Bihar in 2020-21 was — banana (19.80 lakh tonnes), mango (15.50 lakh tonnes), guava (4.34 lakh tonnes), litchi (3.08 lakh tonnes), pineapple (1.14 lakh tonnes), papaya (0.95 lakh tonnes), watermelon (0.49 lakh tonnes), muskmelon (0.22 lakh tonnes) and gooseberry (0.16 lakh tonnes).
    • Except in the case of mangoes and gooseberry, all the other fruits registered a positive growth rate in production in the last three years (2018-19 to 2020-21).
    • District-wise production trend of major fruits:
      • The top guava-producing districts are Nalanda (1.71 lakh tonnes), Muzaffarpur (0.47 lakh tonnes) and Rohtas (0.36 lakh tonnes) in 2020-21.
      • Darbhanga, East Champaran, and Muzaffarpur together contributed nearly 25 percent of the total mango production in the state during 2020-21.
      • The leading producer of litchi was Muzaffarpur at 1.48 lakh tonnes, producing 48 percent of the total litchi production in 2020-21.
    • The Agriculture Road Map Ill (2017-22) reiterates the emphasis being given to organic cultivation of fruits and development of high-density new orchards of mango, and guava to encourage large-scale adoption of technology and use of suitable agricultural equipment.
    • Further, various programmes are being designed to preserve the premium varieties of fruits such as Shahi Litchi of Muzaffarpur, Jurdaalu mangoes of Bhagalpur, and Digha Maldah mangoes of Patna, etc.
    • To meet the demand for high-quality fruits in the local, national, and international markets, there is tremendous competition for the fruit sector in Bihar.
  • Vegetables:
    • Bihar’s gangetic alluvial soil is ideal for growing a wide range of vegetables, such as potato, onion, tomato, cauliflower, cabbage, and brinjal.
    • The trends in area and production of important vegetables in Bihar during the period 2018-19 to 2020-21:
      • The overall acreage under vegetables marginally increased from 8.57 lakh hectares in 2018-19 to 9.15 lakh hectares in 2020-21.
      • In 2020-21, the total vegetable production in the state stood at 179.05 lakh tonnes, increasing from 166.03 tonnes in registering a growth rate of 3.8 percent.
      • The total vegetable production comprised potato (91.26 lakh tonnes), onion (13.28 lakh tonnes), brinjal (12.04 lakh tonnes), tomato (11.62 lakh tonnes), cauliflower (10.31 lakh tonnes) and a others.
      • Among the major vegetables, the highest in production was observed in case of cucumber (18.7 percent), followed by tomato (9.8 percent), potato (5.8 percent) in the last three years.
    • The district-wise area and production of four important vegetables (potato, onion, cauliflower and brinjal) for 2019-20 and 2020-21
      • During 2020-21, Patna, Nalanda, and Samastipur are the leading districts in the production of potato, together accounting for 28.9 percent (26.33 lakh tonnes) of the total potato production in the state.
      • In case of onion, the lead districts are — Nalanda (245 lakh tonnes), West Champaran (0.7 lakh tonnes), and Patna (0.68 lakh tonnes).
      • For cauliflower, the lead districts are —Vaishali (0.95 lakh tonnes), Katihar (0.67 lakh tonnes), and Nalanda (0.64 tonnes) accounting for 21 percent of the total cauliflower production in the state.
    • Since the introduction of the National Horticulture Mission in 2005, vegetable output has increased in Bihar. The State Government is giving significant support through investments in technology for better post-harvest management or vegetables in Bihar.
  • Flowers :
    • Floriculture has the potential to improve rural livelihoods and enhance rural incomes, specially among small and marginal farmers who account for more than 90 percent of the farming population.
    • Commercial production of flowers, such as roses, marigolds, and jasmine, has benefited the state’s farmers.
    • In 2020-21, the state’s total flower production was 11.14 thousand tonnes, cultivated in 1.21 thousand hectares.
    • Given the importance of floriculture, the State Government is supplying high-quality planting material to private nurseries, as well as arranging for training the farmers to encourage flower production.

Major Initiatives of the Department of Agriculture

• Under the Agriculture Roadmap-III (2017-22), various strategies are being adopted in the state to make inputs avallable to farmers in a timely manner.
  • Also, the State Government is promoting various technologies and management practices to decrease the cost of cultivation and maximize returns.
  • In order to achieve a sustainable production system, the State Government intends to provide guidance to farmers on the best possible crop mix and encourage adoption of organic farming practices in the wake of climate change.
  • With regard to extension services, efforts are being made to make it efficient, accountable and transparent.
• Seed Sector Initiatives :
  • Seed is the most important input in modern agriculture. Agriculture Roadmap programmes are targeted to promote the of high yielding varieties and hybrid varieties of crops.
  • The Chief Minister Crash Seed Programme is implemented in all revenue villages of the state in which farmers get quality seed for half acre in case of cereal crops and for one for Oilseeds and pulses.
    • During 2021, a new programme for improving seed replacement rate for oilseed and pulses was implemented during Rabi 2021.
  • Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Agriculture has launched a new initiative for home delivery or seed to farmers. This initiative has been applauded by the Government of India.
  • During 2021, the department has home delivered 26630 quintals of seeds in Kharif season and 66913 quintals of seed in Rabi season.
• Organic Corridor :
  • The State Government is developing an Organic Corridor comprising of 13 districts.
  • About 188 Farmer producer Organizations have already been formed.
  • More than 17000 acres of crop area have been issued with organic C- I Certificate.
  • The State Government has setup an organic mission to give hand holding support to the farmers engaged in organic production.
  • The State Government Started participatory guarantee-based certification.
• Horticulture Development Initiatives :
  • Horticulture is considered as new sunrise Sector as it not only can provide much needed crop diversification but it can also increase farmers’ income.
  • The State Government is implementing the Mission on Integrated Development of horticulture in 23 districts and in the same pattern, the Chief Minister’s Horticulture Development scheme in other 15 districts.
  • Apart from these two flagships schemes, several initiatives have been started to cater to the specific needs of the farmers. In urban areas, a new beginning has been made to promote roof top gardening. The State Government is providing 50 percent help to adopt this practice.
  • Vishesh Udyanik Utpad Yojna has been implemented to promote cluster-based horticulture production. One crop has been identified for each district and FPOs are formed to provide end to end solutions from production to primary processing to marketing of horticultural produce.
    • The State Government is providing 90 percent subsidy to FPOs to create basic infrastructure. The State Government also implementing a special Makhana development programme to increase makhana production through area expansion and also through adoption of new technologies.
    • The Department of Agriculture has established two Centres Of Excellence, one at Chandi for Vegetables and other at Deshri for fruits.
    • In 2021, the Centre of Excellence for vegetables at Chandi provided about 20 lakh of vegetable saplings to farmers and Centre of Excellence for fruits at Deshri provided about 5.20 lakh of fruit planting material to farmers.
  • The State Government is providing 90 percent subsidy on drip and micro sprinkler systems to promote efficient use of irrigation water.
    • An exclusive digital application has been deployed for generation of online application for the administration of subsidy to farmers.
    • This has given transparency and accountability in its administration and the scheme has found a new impetus in 2021.
  • For the export of agricultural commodities to foreign destinations, the provision for issue of Phytosanitary Certificate from Patna has been created.
  • In 2021 , it was possible to export Shahi Litchi and Zardalu Mango to Dubai and London markets.
• Agricultural Research and Education:
  • The State Government has sanctioned three new agricultural colleges in 2021.
    • A new college of Agricultural Engineering will be at Arrah,
    • a new college of Agri Business Management will be established at Patna and
    • a new Agri Biotechnology college will be established at Sabour.
  • These colleges will provide the much-needed qualified manpower in these new frontier areas of agricultural science.
  • Bihar Agricultural University has produced a new film, based on the livelihood security of tribal farmers through new agricultural technologies. This film, Ummed won a national award in the National Film Festival in 2021.
• Special Custom Hiring Centres for Crop Residue Management:
  • Crop residue burning is a major problem in some of the districts in Bihar. Crop residue burning leads to environmental pollution and depletion of soil fertility. The State Government is taking several steps to control this issue.
  • Large scale awareness programmes have been launched through the Kisan Chaupal, Radio jingles, prayers in schools and advertisements in the newspapers from time to time.
  • Apart from these awareness programmes, the State is providing upto 80 percent subsidy on farm machinery which is useful for management of crop residue.
    • This initiative is being implemented in the year 2021 in Magadh and Patna division districts.
• Digital Agriculture:
  • The Department of Agriculture has started a series of initiatives to use digital technology for the benefit of the farmers. On the DBT portal of the Department, more than 1.80 crore farmers are already registered.
  • For this, Aadhar authenticated database is used for implementation of various programmes such as Input subsidy, Diesel Subsidy, Pradhanmantri Kisan Samman Nidhi and various other schemes.
  • The Department has also launched a new Android App called Bihan in technical collaboration with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bihan is developed as a one stop digital window for all kinds of digital application in agriculture.
    • Therefore, it integrates various ongoing digital applications and enables new menu which is not covered by any of the existing digital applications.
    • The digital dashboard and the Bihan App is now in the government to government user mode.
    • However, it has planned to open features of Bihan to farmers and others after the launch of the Digital Farmers services.
• Strengthening of Agriculture extension :
  • The Department of Agriculture is implementing several new initiatives to make an effective reach of technology to farmers. Kisan Chaupal is at panchayat level.
  • Kisan pathshala is organized in the farmer’s field level. Farmers are taken for exposure visit to Agriculturally important locations.
  • During the current year, 8405 Kisan Chaupals were organized in which 7.59 lakh farmers participated, 599 Kisan Pathshalas were organized which benefited around 17000 farmers. More than 95000 farmers were taken for exposure visit to different demonstration sites.
• Development or Agricultural Marketing:
  • The State Government has repealed the erstwhile APMC Act in 2006. The existing market yards are run as government markets where no market fee is levied.
  • Post the repeal of the Act, the State Government is developing basic infrastructure of the market yards from the State’s Plan resources. The State Government has sanctioned Rs. 254 crore for the development of 22 market yards.
  • Besides a master plan for development of all the 54 market yards has already been prepared. The master plan be implemented with help from NABARD.
    • It is estimated that RS. 2446 Crore will be invested for the development of the market yards.
    • The State Government has created a new BAVAS division in the Department of Agriculture to take initiatives for organized development of market in the State.
    • The division has already started steps to integrate few of the existing markets on the e-NAM platform.
• Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA) Program:
  • Farming across the globe has been affected by climate change in a number of ways, including increase or decrease in average temperature, rainfall, and heat waves.
  • Also, change in pests and disease have altered the production capacity, cropping pattern, nutritional quality of produce, and overall environmental sustainability.
  • The State Government has taken up the Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA) programme to deal with Climate Change in the State.
  • The programme has two components
    • (i) a workable plan to cope with current and future climate risks, and
    • (ii) demonstration or climate resilient technologies in all districts or the state.
  • A pilot project for 8 districts (Nawada, Gaya, Nalanda, Munger, Banka. Bhagalpur, Madhubani and Khagaria) began in September 2019. Based on its outcome, the CRA programme was approved for all 38 districts of Bihar since the Rabi season of 2020.
  • The salient features of the programme are as follows:
    • Introduction of cropping system based on timely planting of crops as per the developed crop calendar.
    • Improved climate resilient variety which fits into good quality and is suitable for the cropping System and the Crop calendar.
    • Best planting methods (zero tillage, raised bed, DSR, drum seeding, line sowing, etc.) and laser land levelling.
    • Best management practices (water, nutrient, and weed).
    • Feasible crop diversification as per the available soil and climatic conditions.
    • Short and medium duration climate resilient crop varieties.
    • Crop residue management through happy seeder, super seeder, and straw baler.
  • The CRA programme started in Rabi season 2019-20 and by December 2021, six cropping seasons have been completed.
    • In Rabi 2019-20, out of total 1200 demonstrations covering 8 districts (ISO demonstrations per district), 1430 demonstrations were conducted, implying an achievement rate of 119.2 percent.
    • The achievement rates in later crop seasons have also been high (between 88.0 and 124 8 percent).
  • The results have shown that, because of this intervention, crop productivity has increased tremendously in the state.
  • Similarly, the profitability of agriculture ranged between Rs 1.11 lakh per hectare and Rs. 1.87 lakh per hectare.
  • Among the different cropping systems, the highest productivity was recorded in Rice-Maize (R-M) cropping System (137.62 quintal per hectare), followed by Rice-Wheat-Mung bean (R-W-Mb) at 97.31 quintal per hectare, and the lowest being recorded with Soybean-Wheat-Mung (S-W-Mb) at 68.83 quintal per hectare.
    • Similarly, profitability also showed a similar trend. The highest profitability was reported in Rice-Maize cropping system (Rs. 1.87 per hectare), followed by R-W-Mb cropping system (Rs. 1.51 lakh per hectare), while the lowest was recorded in Maize-Wheat-Mung bean cropping system at Rs. 1.11 lakh per hectare.
  • Under the Climate Resilient Agriculture Programme, several new initiatives have been launched for crop residue management. Similarly, paddy straws are collected and baled with use of appropriate machinery.
    • The straw bales are purchased by COMFED for sale to farmers. This has provided a much needed value to paddy straw and also it could save straw from burning.
    • 11 KVKs mostly located in districts where crop residue burning is reported has a initiative of Bio char production. In these Bio char units, crop residues are into carbon rich organic fertiliser material. It also saves emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.