1 (52)

-

CHAPTER

Agro-Economic Profile of gujarat

3 1 I"troductlon

3 .2 Agr'cu ture In GUJarat

:;, J Ii' tel-state Compe,-is ion

,-, ..J ';'-0p-P'Oductl\lty Comparisicn

3 tl Obser,atlors on l:laJor Crops In Gujarat

1 (53)

,

CHAPTER ,3

AGRO-ECONOMIC PROFILE OF GUJARAT

3,1 INTRODUCTION

The economy of Gujarat has undergone significant structura'

Irall sforl11

1 (54)

employment potential in the manufacturing and service ,;ectors, on the

a~riculture sector for their employment and earnings. Even tile

development of trade, commerce and services in rural areas wi ll depend on

demand base arising from agricultural growth.

Gujarat has a sizeable popu lation living below the poverty line

about /27 per cent estimated in 1999-2000 . Agricu ltural growth is essential for reducing poverty in the rural areas. Many studies show that agricu ltural

growth is positively corre lated with reduction in povert/. In order t:J achieve

substantial reduction in poverty it is necessary to give priority tc growth

of agriculture and agriculture related act ivities .

The role of agriculture in economic deveicpment has alvlajs ~)C",

recognized. What is, however, necessary at this juncture is to focus oc

agricu ltum and give it the same attention as was done in case of indus:' a

sector in Guj3rat in 1970s and 1980s. In other words, the c:eve:op~T'

efforts should give adequate em~hasis on agriculture and a9ric~.:_',;

related activities.

3.2 AGRICULTURE IN GUJARAT

Table 3.1 presents some facts about the awiculture secior in Gujarai.

The cropping intensity3 in Gujarat was 114% in 1991-92, which is much less than the All India average of 129%. This is partly because of the

:P G-"Q 2. Agenda for Gujarat, Reportage - document on 'Rroblemsh Prosperpects of Gujarat;

(e) publishers Pat1-/ & 111994

3. The cropping intensity can be de;ined es ratio of pross area sown to cultivated area under crops.

1 (55)

-

relatively low level of irrigation in Gujarat. However, net cropped area per

agriculture worker was higher at 1.17 00, than the All India average of h '-t

1 (56)

-8 Area under principal crops

(Average of triennium ending 1997 -98)

a. Rice '000 ha. 71 1 43,2 30 1.64

b. Wheat '000 ha. 645 25 ,861 2.49

c. Jowar '000 ha. 407 11,247 3.62

d. Bajra '000 ha. 1,246 9,670 12.89

e. Total Cereals '000 ha. 3,485 100,362 3.47

f. Total Pulses '000 ha. 896 22,560 3.97

g. Total Foodgrains '000 ha. 4 ,342 122,888 3.53

h. Groundnut '000 ha. 1,1367 7,467 25.0

i. Cotton '000 ha . 1,526 9,020 16.92

9 Production of Principal crops

Average of triennium ending

(1997-98)

a. Rice '000 T 1 ,1 31 80,337 1 .41

b. Wheat '000 T 1,460 65 ,185 2.:>2

c. Jowar '000 T 309 9,414 3.;~ 8

d. Bajra '000 T 1,401 6,97B 2U. 08

e. Total Cereals '000 T 4,936 17,554 2.78 •

f. Total pu lses '000 T 588 13,2:~1 4.4 5

g. Total Foodgrains '000 T 5,524 190,762 2.9

h . Groundnut '000 T 2 ,005 8,022 24.99

i. Cotton '000 bales 2,802 12,744 21.99

of 170 Kg.

each

10 Yield of food grain per ha. Kg. 1,400 1,551

1997-98 11 Fertilizer consumption per Kg. 105.24 89 .9

ha. (1998-99)

Source: Agriculture and Co-operation Department, Govt. of Gujarat, Gandhinclgar.

40

1 (57)

- ? -. Inter State Comparison:

The Compara tive statistics of GUJara t witl~ oth er states and Gujarat's

rank "' India given in Table-J.2 TABLE 3.2

GUJARAT' S RANK IN DIFFERENT AREAS IN INDIA

'\D.C'ITORS UNrT Gujarat Rank All India Leading States

----------------------------------------T0:31 "rea '000 18,822 7 3,04,891 Maharashtra, UP, Ai',

't:?;:'0 rt lng ha Karnataka, MP, Rajasthan

'J et croppecl area '000 9.609 7 1,42,215 Maharasr,tra , UP, AP,

ha Karnataka, MP, Rajasthan

Aso of Area 51 8 47 Maharashtra, UP, >,r',

~eportlng Karnatzka, MP, Rajasthan

G'css Cropped '000 10082 7 1,86,561 Ma~arashtr3, UP, AP,

..... rr:3 ha Karnataka, MP., Rajasthal

",CAloNCA , 105 9 131 Punjab, Haryana, UP, Bihar AP, Tamilnadu, KarnJtakil

Gr ~ Irrtg.Jted 000 3.655 6 71,510 UP, Punjab, AP, Haryana ,

.... re.:: ha Bihar

, t- 10 GCA 36 :, 7 38.3 Punjab, Haryana, UP, TN,

Bihar

P~r L.Jp'ta Income Rs 10578 4 9,285 Punjab, Maharashtra,

Haryana

... I!erac\ Rate , 61 3 - 52.2 Kerala, Tamilnadu, , 0

•

Maharashtra, Himachal

Pradesh

T t ... Cereal '000 5.710 13 19,24,340 UP (4 1 ,829)

Pr )dl.1 .... t on T

01, F rt;lts 000 2063 7 41,507 Bihar (6,054)

Production T

1 (58)

Some salient observations on the basis of thesE' statistics are as under:

1. Gujarat ranks seventh among al l Indiar states in total area reporting,

net cropped area and gross cropped area. Maharashtra has the

highest total area reported and UP has the highest gross cropped

area.

2. Punjab ranks first in gross cropped area as a percentage of net cropped

area, whereas Gujarat ranks 9th.

3. Gross irrigated area in Gujarat is 36,55,000 hectare and it is 36.5per

cent of the gross cropped area. Gross irrigated area as a per cent of

gross cropped area is highest in Punjab (95%) and Gujarat ranks 7th

in India in this area.

4. Gujar.lt runks 4th in India in per capita income (Rs.1Cl,578). Punjab is

the leading State in India in pEr capita income (Rs.14,188)

•

5. Gujarat has one of the highest litemcy rates in India (61.29%) beh ind

Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Tamilnadu.

6. Gujarat is one of the lowest states in cereal production (rank 13th) and

it is also low in fruits production(rank 7th).

1 (59)

3,4 Crop productivity comparison

Table-3,3 gives comparative productivity s :atistics of different crops

in GUJarat and the Indian states as a whole and also gives Gujarat's rank in

productivity of different crops ,

TABLE 3,3

Gujarat 's rank in productivity of d ifferent crops in Ind ia

,-Crops Gujarat's Rank Indian Leading States

Yield yield (kg/l1a) (kg'/ha)

Rice 1,550 11 1,395 Punjab (3,465)

Wileat 2,373 5 2,470 Punjab (3,853)

Maize 1,646 8 1,721 WB(2998), Karnataka (2984)

Gram 801 7 812 Himachalpradesh (1087 )

Arhar 749 6 562 Haryana (1212 )

Groundnuts 1,358 2 1,078 Tami lnadu (1,630)

Sesame 599 1 345

Rape & Mustard 1,364 2 1017 Haryana (1,458)

Castor 1,972 1 1,292

Cotton 356 2 213 Punjab (440)

Potatoes 21,891 , 14,602 ,

Onion 29,617 1 10,810

Banana 59,199 1 24,723

Chicoo 12,000 2 12,878 Karnataka (17.700)

Tobacco 1,657 2 1,394 UP (6,834)

Guarseed 664 3 419 Punjab (812), Haryana(794)

Source: Agriculture and Co-operation Del'ar,'ment, Govt, of Gujarat, Gandhinaga(

1 (60)

-The salient observations from Table-3.3 are as follows :

1. Gujarat ranks 1 st in the productivity of castor, sesame, potato. onion

and banana,

2. It ranks 2nd in the productivity of groundnuts (Tamilnadu), rapeseed

& mustard ( Haryana), cotton (Punjab), isabgul (Rajasthan), tobacco

(UP) and chicoo (Karnataka)

3. Gujarat ranks low in the production of rice, wheat, maize,gram and

arhar.

3.5 CROPS IN GUJARAT

The break-up of area under various crop groups is given in Table-3.4 .

Around 41.62 per cent (39.08 lakh hectares ) of the total area under

cultivation (93.90 lakh hectares) is under foodgrains prodllction (cereals and

pulses). Cereals account for 32.44 per cent (30.46 lakh hectares) while

pu lses account for 9.18 per cent (8.62 lakh hectares) of the total area. Of

the balance, oilseed (29.27 lakh hecrtares) and cash crops (19.91 lakh hect-

ares) account for around 31.18 per cent and 21.20 per cent respectively of

the total area. Of the cash crops, cotton alone accounts for 17.66 pGr cent

(16.59 lakh hectares) . It is interesting to note that fru its (1.76 lakh hectares),

vegitables ' 1.90 lakh hectares} and spices (1.98 lakh hectares) account for

just 1.87 par cent, 2.02 per cent and 2.1 1 per cent of the total cropped

area respectively. Thus, items of perceived high value (fruits, vegetables

~~

1 (61)

. and spices) have still not caught on too much.

Area under foodg rain crops h"s declined from 55.86 lakh hectares

during first five year plan period (1951 -52 to 1955-56) to 39.08 lakh

hectares (1998-99), For the state of Gujarat, 4'1.62 per cent of the tota l

cropped area is under food grains as. compared io 65% of cropped area at

the national level. This signifies the relative importance of non-foodgrain •

crops like oil seeds and cotton in Guiarat's agriculture . This is due to the

emphasis given to non-foodgrain crops, so as to take advantage of the

agro-climatic conditions prevailing in the state,

,

TAB!..E 3.4

Area under crop groups (1998-99)

Cash crops 2 1%

Spices 2%

Cere31s 33%

Vegeti.ibles 2%

c _ ____ ,~Oilseeds 31 %

, 2%

Pulses 9%

Tota! Area under Cultivation: 93.90 lakh ha.

Source: Diractorate of Agriculture, Gujarat Stale,

1 (62)

-Area, proc'uction and yiel d of the various crops in Gujarat for the year

1998-99 are given in Table - 3.5.

TABLE 3.5

Area, Prod uction and Yield of the various crops in Gujarat (1998-99)

-Name of Crop Area('OO hal Product ion Yield (kg/ha)

('00 tonnes) -CEREALS

Rice 6,221 10,150 1,633 W heat 7,054 17.026 2,4 14 Jowar 2,390 2,120 887 Bajri 10, 376 12 ,808 1,234 Maize 4 ,083 6,960 1,705 Rag i 197 204 1,034 Smal l Mi llets 136 56 4 12

PULS ES Tur 3,601 3,427 952 Mung 1,742 691 39 7 Math 429 139 323 Udid 1,252 752 601 Gram 1,439 1,253 871 Other Pulses 157 73 465

OILSEE DS Groundnuts 19,408 25,778 1,328 Sesame 3,007

• 1,369 455

Rape/musta rd 3,373 4 ,689 1,390 Castor 3,483 6,946 1,994

SPICES Cumill 1,163 517 445 Fenn

1 (63)

Name of Crop

FRUITS Mango Chiku K. lime Ber Banana Guava Pomeglanate Date palm Papaya Coconut Others

VEGETABLES Potato Onion Brinjal Cabbage Okra Tomato Caulifl Jwer Cluste rbeCln Other~

OTHER CROPS Cotton Tobacco

•

Sugarcane Isabgu l

Area('OO hal

576 149 160 113 326 7 1 26 85 39 137 85

316 522 221 72 11 2 11 1 71 146 328

16,585 1,037 1,963 324

Production

('00 tonnes)

3,825 1,386 1,293 1,189 10,973 1,202 191 566 1,615 979 656

7,129 14,621 2,951 1,263 556 1,618 1,379 790 2,253

6,635 1,847 13,56(: 236

Sourace : Directorate of Agriculture, Gujarat State, Gandhinagar.

Yield (kg/ha:'

6,643 9,311 8,081 10,499 33,587 17,027 7,416 6,631 41,b57 7,141 7,752

22 ,577 28,022 13,336 17,542 4,945 14,579 19,460 5,401 6,869

400 1,781 6,912 727

Major Crops within each crop group based on area under cu ltivation are

indicated in Table-3.6

1 (64)

TAELE 3.6 •

Major crops within each crop group based on area under cultivati on

Crop Group

Cereals

Pulses

Oil seeds

Castor

Spi ces

Fruits

Guava.

Vegetab les

Other Crops

Major crops within each group

Rice, Wheat, Bajri , Maize.

Tur

Groundnut, Sesame, Rapeseed/mustar d,

Cumin, Fennel Garlic , Ch illies

Banana,·rvl ango, Papaya, Ch iku, Citrus,

Onion, Potato, Brinjal, Tomato

Cotton.

---------------------------------------------Source: Agriculture and Co·operafion Dept., Govt. of Gujarat.

3.6 OBSERVATIO NS ON MAJOR CROPS IN GUJARAT

Gujarat Agrovi sion 2010 : A working document prepared by

Agriculture and Co-operation Departmen t, Governme nt of GUlara t,

Gandhinagar, gives the following observations on major crops for 10 years

i.e. from 1988-89 to 1997-98 in Gujarat.

(A) FOODGRAINS

1. Area under the foodgrains declined by 20 per cent i.e. from 50 lakh

hectares to 41 lakh hectares.

2. Trend in production of foodgrains shows marginal decline along with

fluctu3tion around the declining trend .

3. Total area under the foodgr3ifl production was about 40 percent of

total gross cropped area in GUjarat.

4S

1 (65)

-(B) RICE

The yields of rice was static over the pE,riod. Even though almost 90

per cent area was under HYV, the yields were 20 per cent below the

national averaoe. -(C) W HEAT

Over the decade, there was a marginal improvement in yields from

wheat , but it was 20 percent below the national average, eve,1 though

almost 90 percent area was under HYV.

(D) BAJI'

1 (66)

-(F) GROUNDNUT

The area under the ground nut crop was virtually static, but in the

production of groundnut, there were some fluctu iltions wi th periodic

crop fai lure due to rainfall. Also, in good crop years yie:ds have

been marginally 9-10 per cent higher than all India average, but in bad

crop years , yields have been 40-60 per cent lower than Indian

aver.3ge because of crop failure . In short yeilds from groundnut were

found to reveal fluctuating tendency.

(G) MU STARD

The yield from mustard have increased by 35 per cent over the

decade which was around 40 percent more over the national average

and hence, Gujarat has one of the highest yields in the Country.

(H) COTTON

Area under this crop had increased by about 25 per cent over the

decade and the production has roughly c!oubled during the period since

the begining of decade. Also, there was a nassive increase in yi elds

due to usage of HYV seed; it may be observed that over 45 per cent

of cotton was under HYV.

50

1 (67)

-

(I) PULSES

There was a marginal yield increase i.e. abnut 10 per cent over the "'-

decade. Gujarat in this has performed marginally better th~n the

country. It recorded about 10 per cent better yield than national

average.

Thus, it is clear from the above observat ions, that even though ,

Gujarat's Agro-economic situation is satisfactory, there were fluctuations in

the production of major crops. Hence, in chapter - 5, we have examine

exponenti al growth rates of and indices of instabil ity inp lajor crops in Gujarat.

However, before undertaking this analysis an attempt is made to give

an idea of methodological issues related to the presen t study in (he next

chapter (i .e. Chapter-4) .

•

S I

1 (68)