Even as the Odisha Government is trying to help farmers with several schemes, their numbers are shrinking fast and that of the landless are on the rise, reveals a latest report on the major constraints in the agriculture sector in the State.
The State Government has made an analysis of the causes of a lower growth in the primary sector, which is found to be a major factor in eroding the base of cultivators.
The number of cultivators having their own lands is now 41 lakh, which was 42 lakh earlier. Between the 2001 and 2011 Censuses, one lakh farmers have lost their lands.
The latest estimate shows that because of an increasing fragmentation of lands, the number of cultivators is falling and that of landless agriculture labourers number is rising. The numbers of landless or labourers has increased to 67 lakh from 50 lakh during the 10-year period.
The increasing pressure on land has led to further fragmentation, as a result of which average land holding size has decreased to 0.95 hectare recently as against 1.89 hectares in the 1970s. And moreover, the impact of natural calamities has added to the expansion of fallow lands.
Statistics show that from 46 per cent, the share of farmers in the State’s total agricultural workforce fell to 38 per cent, which is a cause of great concern.
While the Government is harping on doubling farmers’ income, there is a huge intra-State disparity in farmers’ earnings. Among the 30 districts, farmers in 17 districts earn lower than the State average. For example, a farmer in Jharsuguda district earned five times more than his counterpart in Keonjhar district.
Low fertiliser consumption is another major constraint. Odisha consumes 56.8 kg per hectare whereas the all-India average is 123 kg.
Punjab consumes 198 kg of fertiliser per hectare.
Besides, a low rate of seed replacement is another constraint agriculture in Odisha is facing. The Seed Replacement Ratio (SRR) is much
lower than a desired level of 33 per cent.
A high volatile agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is another major cause of concern for the State. Between 2000-01 and 2016-17, the State’s agri GDP grew at an average annual rate of 4.5 per cent compared to the country’s average of 3.1 per cent.
The analysis report reveals that Odisha’s growth is more volatile than all-India; and that is due to impact of weather and climate variability on agriculture growth in the State.
The State is facing natural disasters almost every year; and the latest Super Storm Fani has wreaked havoc on agriculture in general and horticulture in particular.
Moreover, there is a growing gap between consumption and production in the agriculture sector in the State. While the State’s economy is growing fast and the consumption basket is changing. Consumers are increasingly demanding more pulses, vegetables, dairy, eggs, fish and meat.
The consumption pattern should drive the production pattern, which is not happening in the State.
Orientation to produce more rice and less vegetables and high-value crops are forcing the State to import eggs, pulses, meat and other products from neighbouring States.