UP agriculture in trouble as farm land shrinks

Agriculture in Uttar Pradesh is in trouble because areas of land for agriculture have been shrinking rapidly. Production over the past five years has stagnated at around 42.5 million tonnes a year. Productivity, too, has stagnated at 41 quintals per hectare (about 2.5 acres make one hectare).

Arun Kumar Misra, state's principal secretary (agriculture), told Business Standard that UP was losing 70,000 to 100,000 acres of land per year to urbanisation and industrialisation.

Besides, holdings are getting smaller, with 90 per cent of them belonging to marginal or small farmers with an average holding of 0.7 hectare. In these circumstances UP has embarked upon a mission to improve its agriculture to achieve a consistent growth rate of 4 per cent as laid down in its agriculture policy of 2005.

The Rabi crop of 2005-06 is set to break the stagnation in agriculture.

Misra says, "We have distributed seeds of 21.78 lakh quintal against a target of 20.75 lakh quintal, about 3 lakh quintal more than last year's figures. Similarly, fertilizer made available amounted to 43.72 lakh mt, same as last year. However the mark was really overshot in plant protection chemicals, where the availability went up to 8,834 kilo litres per tonne plant protection chemicals. Similarly crop loan of Rs3655.03 cr was dispersed as against that of Rs.2167.99 cr last year, an increase of about 68 per cent. The target for rabi coverage of 124 lakh has been achieved; similarly wheat sowing is marginally above target."

With these efforts, the wheat production is targeted to reach 260 lakh tonnes as against 225-lakh mt, but Misra admits that owing to abnormal temperatures, it is unlikely to exceed 235-240 lakh mt. The area under oil seeds and pulses has exceeded the targets by 39,000 hectares and 30,000 hectares respectively. An increase of 3-5 per cent is expected in the production of oilseeds and pulses.

Similarly, for Kharif in the current year the target for rice is set at 145 l tm, although coverage area for total kharif and paddy is more less the same as last year and the planned increase in rice output is also modest to 12.50 lakh mt from11 lakh mt achieved last season.

The coming Kharif crops will face numerous problems. There is going to be delayed transplanting of paddy, lack of assured irrigation as about 56% of Kharif depends on tube wells and 43% on canals. There is generally less availability of canal water when needed most. Therefore tube wells, which cost a great deal, have to be run. Paddy does not have well-accepted hybrids. Besides micronutrient deficiency prevails, especially of zinc in the predominant paddy-wheat rotation in the state.

To overcome it areas for specific crop production are being demarcated for intensive agricultural intervention, so that productivity of those commodities, like oilseeds and pulses is enhanced. Pulses /oilseeds inBundelkhand, Bajra, Maize, guar and Black gram in western, south -western semi dry zones. Rice arhar, black gram til etc, in central, eastern, & northeastern plain zones. Hybrid rice in central/North east & eastern plain zones. Basmati rice in terai & Midwestern plain zones.

A plan to make available 5.60 l quintals of seeds of different crop is prepared against actual achievement of 4.99 l mt.

Some of the issues, which UP had posed before the union government, have been met partially.

The interest rates for farmers have been brought down to 7% as against 6% asked for by UP. To organize DAP in time, introduce subsidy on drip and sprinkler irrigation enhancement of subsidy on seed farming from Rs.20 per quintal to Rs.325 per quintal. The centre has not conceded it, therefore UP has gone ahead and has given it on its own.

What is evident is that UP has become deadly serious about its agriculture and the chief minister mulayam SinghYadav has warned more then once that the condition of agriculture is deteriorating very fast. With the above steps there is likely to begin enhancement in both Rabi and forthcoming Kharif production, breaking stagnation in agricultural a production. EOM.