Inclusive and sustainable economic growth of the State is possible by changing traditional backwardness in agriculture to increase production. Besides, adequate public investment in building agricultural infrastructure and ensuring social security of the farmers and agricultural labourers is highly needed.
It has been observed that the status of agriculture in the State has not been changing much as well as the condition of people engaged in agriculture, especially small farmers and agricultural labourers. It has been reported in the State Economic Survey-2014-15 that the contribution of agricultural sector is only 15 per cent to Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) but 60 per cent of the population depend on it. The recent trend in agriculture sector shows a negative growth in production of cereals, rice and wheat in 2013-2014. The land available for agricultural purpose has been decreasing.
The yielding rate of food grains of Odisha is below the national average which is 2,125 kg per hectare and 1,696 kg per hectare in Odisha where as in States like Haryana it is 3,698 kg per hectare for the year 2012-13. The cropping intensity has been lower than Punjab, West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh though little higher than the national average. The area under paddy cultivation constitutes about 80 per cent of the total cultivable area and out of this, 64 per cent are non-irrigated area. Cropping intensity is lower due to dependency on rain water and non availability of irrigation facility for raising a number of crops from the same field in an agricultural year. States like Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have achieved irrigation facility with more than 60 per cent irrigation facility for all crops where as Odisha remains below national average of 45 per cent. For last ten years, the fertilizer consumption has very marginally increased from 46 kg per hectare in 2005 to 57 kg per hectare in 2013.
The fertilizer consumption by States such as Punjab and West Bengal is 250 and 164 kg per hectare respectively and the rate is 128 kg at national level for the same year. Odisha needs to improve production of food grains, vegetables, pulses, spices, fruits, eggs, fish and livestock for meat and milk to meet the increasing food requirement of the people of the State without depending on neighbour States such as West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) says the four major vegetables i.e. potato, tomato, onion and brinjal constitute 60 per cent of the total vegetable production in India. Odisha features among major vegetable producing States such as West Bengal, UP, Bihar, AP, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu as India is the second largest vegetable producing country next to China with 48 per cent of the world production. The productivity of vegetable in India is less than world average and the productivity in Odisha is below national average. Odisha requires about 10 lakh MT potato annually but the production in the State is less than one lakh. The total area under potato cultivation is less than one per cent of the total cultivable area. The State Potato Mission with budget allocation may take steps in increasing potato production by involving farmers in production.
The State has an advantageous position in ginger and turmeric production, especially in Kandhamal district but adequate State investment has not been made to tap the potential.
Agriculture being a State subject, the State Government should have specific programme and targeted policies for the development of agriculture putting small farmers in centre. There are a number of Central sponsored schemes on agriculture which are very loosely implemented in the State to improve production of rice, oilseed, pulse, oil palm, maize, cotton, jute, fruit and vegetable and integrated schemes such as Rastriya Krusi Vikas Yojana with major central assistance. There has been lack of inter departmental planning to ensure irrigation, electricity and infrastructural facility for agriculture development of the State. The latest separate Agriculture Budget by the State Finance Minister has not exhibited that synergy and integrated effort of the departments like Power, Irrigation, Revenue, Panchyatraj and ST and SC Development Department in targeting agriculture development and there has been no focused plan for small farmers.
There are also major structural and legal issues relating to land ownership which has been discouraging potential farmers to get fully involved in agriculture. In order to improve production, the Government has to ensure land for farmers especially for share croppers, small and marginal farmers, tribal and Dalit farmers who have very marginal holding and many of them have no legal ownership over the patch of land they have been cultivating for generations.
There has been existence of skewed distribution of land holding with large presence of absentee land owners. The agriculture sector has been managed with large presence of share croppers, small and marginal farmers and agricultural workers. The poor infrastructure in agriculture and lack of social security of the people engaged in agriculture has been a matter of concern. The agricultural credit, subsidy, crop insurance and social security policies in terms of wage and pension of the State Government have not been favorable to the socio –economic development of share croppers, small and marginal farmers. The subsidy provided for agricultural equipment such as tractor, power tiller, pump sets, hydraulic trailer, harvester, and power operated implements has not been much helpful to small farmers.
The subsidy on manually operated implements has been supported in a small way. The subsidies have been mostly used for non agricultural purpose with subsidy of farmers. During the year 2013 -2014, Rs 277 crore has been spent as subsidy to farmers in the State. The cooperative banks with large coverage of agricultural families as members of primary agriculture cooperative societies have financed crop loan of Rs 7,097 crore during the year 2013-2014. There are also term loans and paddy procurement and marketing. It has been observed that the share croppers and small farmers have been not benefited by such credit programmes. Though the State Government has started credit programmes for share croppers and oral leases for agricultural operation in group in the name of credit linkage to tenant farmer groups and credit linkage to share croppers and oral lessees through liabilities groups which are very insignificant, they have not covered many potential beneficiaries requiring agricultural credit. These cooperative banks are largely dominated by local politicians of ruling parties and the real farmers have no participation in the affairs of banks.
The public investment in agriculture should include people engaged in agriculture not just in production but the wellbeing of the farmers and farm labourers. States like Kerala have made provision of pension of Rs 600 for farmers and agricultural workers. The National Commission for Farmers has recommended Rs 3,000 pension per month for farmers and farm workers and many farmer organizations have been demanding social security for farmers which has been neglected by the Government. Needless to say, social and economic wellbeing of farmers and farm workers will boost the production.
The National Agricultural Insurance Scheme for all farmers irrespective of their size of holding with 50 per cent central assistance needs to be implemented by the State with full coverage of all farmers. The Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana as a health insurance scheme for farmers has been introduced in the State which promises insurance coverage of one lakh annually to five members in each family. But it has not yet become fully operational with coverage of all farmers.
The United Nations has been internationally promoting family farming to eradicate poverty and ensure food security, nutrition, strengthening livelihood and bringing improvement in environment in rural area. Odisha with poverty, hunger death, distress migration and malnutrition should focus on food production by scientific land and water management and utilising the unemployed human resources. The land distributed to STs under Forest Rights Act 2005 can be developed under land development programme with irrigation, electricity, crop insurance, agricultural equipment for the agricultural activities specially to grow fruits and vegetables to meet the demand of the State.
