Farm productivity gap widening in Orissa

 The gap between productivity of low-yielding and high yielding areas, as witnessed during mid and late 1990s, shows a trend of increasing productivity instability and an absence of appropriate production technology.

 The inter-district productivity gap for rice has grown from 119.5 per cent in 1994-95 to 488.8 per cent in 1999-2000 while for pulses, the same has widened from 75.4 per cent to 127.5 per cent.

 For oil seeds, the gap has increased from 426.3 per cent to 530.5 per cent during the period.

 This signifies non-availibility of location-specific appropriate production technology in different district, says the study, adding the increasing disparity in productivity has to be addressed through a scientist-farmer extension interaction that focuses production technologies in different stages of crop growth and in varied climatic situation.

 The study- Inter-district disparities in agricultural growth, agricultural productivity and poverty with special reference to food security in Orissa in the era of liberalisation-was conducted by Dibakar Naik, head, agriculture economics department of OUAT.

 Notably, during the period under consideration, barring one or two districts, all have shown a negative trend in areas under cultivation, production and productivity of major crops.

 The negative productivity growth of rice, the report says, varies from (-) 0.92 per cent in Mayurbhanj to (-) 5.76 per cent in Ganjam during 1990-2001. In case of pulses, it ranges from (-) 1.7 per cent in Ganjam to (-) 5.29 per cent in Keonjhar whereas. For oilseeds it is between (-) 0.73 per cent to (-) 6.93 per cent.