I hereby declare that I have completed my thesis entitled Agricultural production in Assam in recent decades: an empirical study of selected crops in two districts of Western Assam under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Gopinatha, Officers of the Rubber Research Station, Guwahati, Officers of the Regional Offices of the Rubber Board, Agia, Goalpara and Kajalgaon, Chirang, President and Secretary of the North Salmara Rubber Producers' Association, Bongaigaon, have helped me immensely in collecting literature and data on rubber cultivation in the districts of Goalpara and Bongaigaon.
Model Specification
Agricultural production growth and agriculture indices in the state are lower than the all India level. Apart from natural causes, rice production in the state is hampered by input and service constraints.
Chapter-I: Introduction and Review of Literature
The Background of the Study
They saw agriculture as the engine of economic growth, and that agriculture was the only activity that could generate a surplus large enough to stimulate growth in other sectors of the economy. Simultaneous development between agriculture and industry is a prerequisite for a balanced and smooth economic growth, and it forms an integrated part of the economy.
Linkage between Agriculture and Industry and Other Sectors
Early theoretical literature on the place of agriculture in the economy can be traced as far back as the eighteenth century in the writings of the Physiocrats. Mehta (2015) stated that the experience of the past two decades reveals a weakening of inter-.
Agriculture Production in India
- Growth Rate of Agriculture and Crop Output in India
- Changes of Crop Yields
- Total Cropped Area (TCA)
- Farm Size and Agricultural Productivity
- Agrarian structure, modes of production and land reforms in Indian agriculture
- Declining Importance of Tenancy in Indian Agriculture
- Use of Modern Inputs
- Investment in Agriculture
- Credit Availability
- Extension Services
- Change in Cropping Pattern and Crop Diversification
As in other regions of the country, the growth rate of agricultural production in Assam has declined in recent years. Research and extension played a major role in the success of the first Green Revolution (CACP, 2011).
Agriculture in Assam
- Agrarian Structure in Assam
In case of pulses, the growth rate of area, production and yield in Assam were higher than the national average. Figure 1.7: CAGRs of area, production and yield of major crops in Assam and all over India. But the production and productivity indices of rice in Assam were lower than those of all India.
Research Problem and Objectives
- Research Gap
- Objectives and Research Questions
The growth rate of agricultural production in Assam has declined in the last few decades like the rest of the country. Inadequate provision of irrigation, credit and extension services can have an adverse impact on crop yield. Research question: What is the nature of the underlying production functions of these three crops?].
Crop Selection and Brief Description
However, the average rice productivity in the state is lower than the national average; Assam produces only 1874 kg per hectare, compared to 2372 kg per hectare in India. Although rubber is a non-traditional crop in Assam, plantation in the state is gaining momentum as we have seen above. However, the demand for the natural rubber grown in the state basically comes from outside the state.
Data Sources and Methodology
- Field Study Area and Justification
- Methodology
The primary data has been collected from the farm households in two districts of Lower Brahmaputra Valley Agro-climatic Zone namely Goalpara and Bongaigaon using a pre-tested questionnaire to fulfill the objectives and answer the research questions. Primary data of the sample of agricultural households and their agricultural activities have been collected from two districts of Western Assam viz. The samples of the growers at the village level are selected using simple random sampling.
Structure of the Thesis
Chapter-II: Agricultural Production in Assam: An Overview
General Description
The percentage of area under irrigation is only about 15 percent of GCA and 20.7 percent of NCA (Directorate of Economics and Statistics, GoI, 2004). The soil, topography, rainfall and climate in Assam are well suited for rice cultivation which occupies about 25.46 lakh hectares or nearly 62 percent of TCA and more than 93 percent of the total area under food grains in the state during 2011-12. In terms of production in the Northeast Region, more than 70 percent of rice, about 70 percent of food grains, 83 to 89 percent of sugarcane, about 80 percent of rape and mustard, 55 to 65 percent of potato and more than 90 percent of Jute production is from Assam (Goyari, 2005).
Geographical Location, Climatic Pattern and Seasonal Characteristics of Assam
The rural population of the state is 86 percent of the total population, which is much higher than that of India (69%) (Census of India, 2011). Average solar radiation shows that radiation interception is only 36-38 percent of sunny hours during June to August due to cloudy skies, while during November to February it is 70-74 percent. Taking into account the variation in temperature, humidity and rainfall, weather conditions, etc., the year in Assam is divided into four seasons, viz., (1) Pre-Monsoon, (2).
Physiographic Frame of Assam
Occasional rains (20-23% of annual rainfall) during this season are favorable for the cultivation of jute, summer rice and tea. By mid-September, the southwest post-monsoon begins to recede and towards the end of November it is gradually followed by good weather and morning fog (6-8% of the annual rainfall). The dry winter season starts at the end of November and lasts until the end of February.
Cropping Season in Assam
(H) Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao Hills. in brackets represent % percentage of different areas in the general geographical surface of the state;. The agro-climatic zones are very diverse and therefore the adaptation pattern of the crop production system varies in the zones. The highly varied topographical situations within the areas require extensive technological options and thus require appropriate policy interventions.
Land Use Pattern and Area under different Crops in Assam
Note:*Area under non-agricultural purposes. i) Figure in brackets in percentage for Total Geographical Area and in case of area sown more than once it is from NAS. ii) Net area sown is net operating area. It is not necessarily the area available for cultivation that may be greater, as it will include area that is available but not used. iii) Gross crop area is net sown area plus area sown more than once. From the above analysis, it is very clear that the scope for physical expansion of land in Assam is limited; the main emphasis should therefore be on intensification.
District-wise Variation of Land Utilization in Assam
Agricultural Land Use
Description of Some Major Crops
The state recorded a total production of 480.29 million kg in 2011-12 (Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Assam). In addition to existing big and large tea gardens owned by reputed companies, both Indian and multinational, the profession of tea plantation in the state has recently been taken up as a business venture by common man (Economic Survey Assam, 2010-11). In addition, other cash crops viz. tobacco, chillies, ginger, turmeric, spices and condiments, varieties of vegetables and fruits and horticultural crops are also grown in the state.
Production Condition
However, cultivators in Assam earn comparatively better income from agriculture than the all India average. According to NSSO, 70th Round (2013), the average monthly net income from cultivation in Assam was Rs. The average value of the gross cropped area per hectare in Assam was Rs.3765 compared to Rs.2229 for all India.
Cultivation Pattern
In the hill districts of Assam, the traditional practice of shifting cultivation (jhum) is still the predominant mode of agriculture. The practice of shifting cultivation is believed to be a major reason for lower agricultural productivity in these districts (Goswami, 2014).
Intensity of Cropping
Higher cropping intensity means that part of the net area is cropped more than once during a farming year. Duration of crops in the field is also considered as a measure for determining cropping intensity (Dayal, 1978). In Assam, there is considerable spatial variation in the pattern of cropping intensity at the district level.
Pattern and Distribution of Operational Holdings
Table-2.9: Average size of operational holdings (area owned by household) in Assam and all India: (in ha). The average size of marginal land holdings in Assam is larger than that of the whole of India. The frequency of tenancy in land leases in Assam is lower than in India as a whole.
Land Tenure System in Assam
- Origin of Land Tenure System and Land Reforms in Assam
- Land Reform Measures introduced in Assam and their Effects
The Ahom kings made large grants of land to temples, satras, idols, priests, state officers and charitable institutes. The rights of the proprietors (Zamindars were proprietors as defined in the Land and Revenue Regulations 1886 (Das, 2012)) have been acquired by the state government under the Assam State Zamindaries Acquisition Act, 1951. Land reform measures were adopted by the Government of Assam to remove the defects and exploitative character of the land tenure system prevailing in the State before its independence.
Use of Modern Inputs in Agriculture in Assam
Thus, it is found that about 80 percent of the public irrigation potential created in the state remains unutilized in 2012. Agriculture in the state is severely capital starved (Bhawmick et al., 2005). Credit payment per acre (at 1980-81 prices) in Assam is far below the national average. Funds required for the operation and maintenance of irrigation schemes from the state budget are not sufficient.
Change in Cropping Pattern in Assam in Recent Decades
Other food grains such as pulses, wheat and other grains cover nearly about 6 percent of the total area under cultivation in the state (Economic Survey Assam, 2011-12). Area under rubber cultivation in the state was 0.12 lakh hectares or 0.3 per cent of TCA in 2000-01, which increased to 0. However, changes in the cropping pattern in the state in recent decades are far from uniform in nature.
Conclusion
The charcoal dwellers introduced large scale jute cultivation which is till date one of the most important crops of Assam. Thus, although the state is more dependent on agriculture than the rest of the country, the state paradoxically lags behind the rest of the country on the various parameters of agricultural development. Our aim in the rest of the thesis will be to identify the causes that can be responsible for low agricultural yields.
Chapter-III: Rice Production in Assam
Origin of Rice and Climatic Conditions of Rice Growth
Rice requires a hot and humid climate and thrives as a rainfed crop where the annual rainfall is more than 200 cm. Level lands, especially the alluvial lands of valleys and river deltas, are most suitable for rice cultivation, although it is also grown in mountainous areas. Rice requires cheap and abundant human labour, as most of the work such as tillage, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, husking and block sanding is still done by hand, especially in developing countries.
Rice Production in India
For this reason, lands with dense monsoon population are most suitable for rice cultivation (Gautam, 2013). The year-to-year variation in production indicates the continued dependence of the crop on weather conditions. One of the reasons for the lower rate of production growth was the stagnation in the rice area.
Rice Cultivation in Assam
Bhowmick et al., (2005) observed that the inequality of household income could be significantly higher in the absence of rice income. Rice cultivation in Assam was susceptible to the risk of floods, especially the winter rice.
Historical Background of Rice Production in Assam
The rice economy of the Brahmaputra valley was able to produce a substantial surplus in the past. Of the three varieties of rice - Ahu, Bao and Sali grown in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam, Sali was the most productive. Production of Sali was very widespread in the Upper Brahmaputra valley and that of Ahu and Bao or shifting rice was extensive in the lower part of the valley.
Rice Ecosystem in Assam and its Method of Cultivation
Baodhan is grown in some low-lying areas of the state prone to flooding along with Ahu. The area and percentage of shallow or medium land to the total rice area is the highest in the state. On average, the state receives annual (normal) rainfall in different seasons such as in winter (December-February) 48 mm; in summer (March-May) 555 mm; in.
Rice Production Scenario in Assam in Recent Decades
- Growth and Instability in Rice Production in Assam
- Emergence of Boro or Summer Rice in Assam
- Use of High Yielding Variety (HYV) and Hybrid Rice in Assam
After 2007-08, the area and yield of winter and summer rice increased steadily and therefore the total production of rice in the state could cross 5 million MT in 2010-11. Low rate of adoption of modern production techniques also causes instability in the production of rice in the state (Mandal, 2011). HYV seeds seem to have contributed very little to improving the productivity of rice in the state during this period (Saikia, 2014).
Agro-ecological Zones in Assam and Rice Production
- Infrastructure and Rice Yield across Agro-ecological Zones
The percentage of area under rice has increased in all zones except BVZ (Statistical Hand Book Assam (various issues); Mandal (2010). Until the 1970s, the rate of growth in rice area was impressive in all zones except in the NBPZ where the growth rate started to increase after the 1970s. The autumn harvest has marked a negative rate of surface growth in all areas, while a similar pattern has been observed in the case of winter crops in the LBVZ, CBVZ, NBPZ and UBVZ .
Rice Production in Assam (District level analysis)
- Inter-district Variation in Rice Yield
Judging by the average yield of winter rice, the Cachar and Sibsagar appear to be the most productive and favorable rice environment. The yield of summer rice was higher because summer rice crops are grown under irrigated conditions. Table-3.16: District wise Area, Production and Yield of Winter Rice, Autumn Rice, Summer Rice in Assam during 2013-14: Area in hectares; Production in metric tone; Yield in kg/ha.
Constraints on Growth of Rice Production in Assam
- Input Constraints of Rice Production in Assam
Insufficient solar radiation is the most important factor responsible for low rice productivity in the country (Ahmed et al., 2011). FMCs are envisioned as centers of future agricultural development activities in the country. However, the farmers remain in a debacle in solving the various problems of rice production in the country.
