Present Scenario Of Agriculture Allied Enterprises.

                                 

 

Agriculture Plays A Vital Role In India’s Economy. Nearly 54.6% Of The Population Is Engaged In Agriculture And Allied Activities (Census 2011) And The Sector Contributed 17.4% To The Country’s Gross Value Added For The Year 2016-17 (At Current Prices). (Annual Report 2016-17, Dac & Fw). The Contribution Of Agriallied Sectors Viz., Livestock (Including Dairy, Sheep, Goat, Poultry And Piggery), Fisheries (Marine, Inland And Aqua Farming), Horticulture (Including Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers, Spices, Aromatic And Medicinal Plants) And Sericulture Sector Has Been Significant And Growing Over The Years. Globally, India Accounts For The Highest Milk Production, Second Highest Fish Production And Second Highest Production Of Fruits And Vegetables.

Livestock Sector.

“Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan And Madhya Pradesh Are The Highest Milk Producing States Contributing 37.8% Of Total Milk Production.” -Annual Report, Dahd&F, 2017-18

Livestock Sector Is An Important Sub-Sector Of Agriculture Which Provides Nutrient-Rich Food Products, Draught Power, Organic Manure And Domestic Fuel, Hides And Skin And Is A Regular Source Of Cash Income For Rural Households. Over The Last Two Decades, Livestock Sector Has Grown Significantly. According To Estimates Of The Central Statistics Office (Cso), The Value Of Output Of Livestock Sector At Current Prices During 2015-16 Was About 28.6% Of The Value Of Output From Agricultural And Allied Sector. (28% At Constant Prices) (Annual Report 2016-17, Dac & Fw). Currently, India Accounts For 18.5% Of World Milk Production. In 2016- 17, With Annual Growth Rate Of 6.37%, Milk Production Reached 165.4 Million Tonnes. The Per Capita Milk Availability Is 355 Gm Per Day Per Person, Considerably Higher Than Recommended By Icmr I.E. 280 Gm Per Day Per Person. (Annual Report, Dahd&F, 2017-18) The Indian Dairy Cooperative Network Consists Of 1,77,314 Primary Milk Cooperative Societies At Village Level Covering 16,282 Producer Members And Procures 42.8 Million Kg Milk Per Day. (Annual Report, Nddb, 2016-17). Approximately, 34% Of The Milk Is Sold In The Unorganized Market While 46% Is Consumed Locally. This Is In Contrast To Most Of The Developed Nations Where Almost 90% Of The Surplus Milk Passes Through The Organized Sector. As Per The Department Of Animal Husbandry, Dairying And Fisheries, Organized Milk Handling Is Expected To Grow From 20% At Present To 50% By 2022-23. (Annual Report, DAHD&F 2017-18) Presently, The Co-Operatives And Private Dairies Have Access To Only 20% Of The Milk Produced. However, It Is Estimated That, By 2020, Private Corporate Dairies Will Overtake Cooperatives In Handling Of Milk Volumes, Which Is Projected To Reach 28.93 Million Tonnes, Ahead Of The 23.67 Million Tonnes Of Cooperatives. (National Action Plan For Dairy Development: Vision 2022).

“Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra And West Bengal Are The Highest Meat Producing States Contributing Nearly Forty Percent (39.23) Of Total Meat Production.” -Annual Report, Dahd&F, 2017-18

The Total Meat Production In The Year 2016-17 Reached 7.4 Million Tonnes Among Which The Major Contribution Is From Poultry 47.05% Followed By Buffalo 19.80%, Goat 14.25%, Sheep 7.68%, Pig 6.50 And Cattle 4.72% (Annual Report, Dahd&F, 2017-18). The Per Capita Availability Of Meat Is Around 5kg. Per Person Per Year, Which Is Nearly Half The Recommended Level I.E. 11kg Per Person Per Year By Icmr.

“Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh And Telangana Ranked The Largest Egg Producing States, Contributing More Than Half (50.3%) Of The Total Egg Production.” -Annual Report, DAHD&F, 2017-18

India Ranks Third In Egg Production In The World After China And The Usa And Is The Fourth-Largest Producer Of Chicken In The World After China, Brazil And The Usa. In 2016-17, Egg Production Reached 88.14 Billion With Annual Growth Rate Of 6.3%. The Per Capita Availability Of Eggs Is Around 69 Eggs Per Person Per Year, Which Is Far Below The Recommended Level I.E. 180 Per Person Per Year By Icmr. The Total Value Of Poultry Sector Is About Rs.80,000 Crore (2015-16) Broadly Divided Into Two Sub-Sectors – A Highly Organized Commercial Sector With About 80% Of The Total Market Share And The Unorganized With About 20% Of The Total Market Share.

Fisheries And Aquaculture Sector.

Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal And Tamil Nadu Are The Top Three Fish Producing States.

The Fisheries And Aquaculture Sector Is Recognized As The Sunshine Sector In Indian Agriculture Providing Nutritional Security To The Food Basket, Contributing To Agricultural Exports And Engaging About 14 Million People In Different Activities. There Have Been Continuous And Sustained Increments In Fish Production In India Since Independence. Constituting About 6.3% Of The Global Fish Production, India Stand 2nd In Total Fish Production As Well As Freshwater Fish Production. The Total Fish Production In 2016-17 Was 11.4 Million Metric Tonnes (3.6 Million Metric Tonnes From Marine Fisheries And 7.8 Million Metric Tonnes From Inland Fisheries). The Per Capita Availability Of Fish Is 9 Kg Per Person Per Year, Which Is Quite Low As Compared To Other Developing Nations. The Sector Contributes 1.1% Of The National Gdp And 5.15% Of The Agricultural Gdp. (Annual Report, Dahd&F, 2017-18). In Order To Utilize The Large Untapped Potential In Fisheries And Aquaculture In The Country, The Government Of India Started Blue Revolution Creating An Enabling Environment For Integrated Development Of The Full Potential Of Fisheries In The Country, Along With Substantial Improvement In The Income Status Of Fishers And Fish Farmers Keeping In View Sustainability, Bio-Security And Environmental Concerns.

Horticulture Sector.

India Has Maintained Leadership In The Production Of Many Commodities Like Mango, Banana, Acid Lime, Coconut, Arecanut, Cashew, Ginger, Turmeric And Black Pepper. Presently, It Is The Second Largest Producer Of Fruits And Vegetables In The World. India Is Next Only To China In Area And Production Of Vegetables And Occupies The Prime Position In The Production Of Cauliflower, Second In Onions And Third In Cabbage In The World. India Has Also Made Noticeable Advancement In The Production Of Flowers. Further, It Is The Largest Producer, Consumer And Exporter Of Spices. India Is Home To A Wide Variety Of Spices Like Black Pepper, Cardamom (Small And Large), Ginger, Garlic, Turmeric, Chilli And A Large Variety Of Tree And Seed Spices. The Major Spice Producing States Are Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha And Madhya Pradesh. The North Eastern Region And Andaman And Nicobar Islands Also Have Potential Areas For Spices, Particularly Cultivated Organically.

Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra And Uttar Pradesh Are The Leading States In Fruit Production For 2016-17.

The Percentage Share Of Horticulture Output In Agriculture Is 30%. Over The Last Decade, The Area Under Horticulture Grew By About 3% Per Annum And Annual Production Increased By 5.4%. During 2016-17, The Production Of Horticulture Crops Was About 295.2 Million Tonnes From An Area Of 24.9 Million Hectares. Among The Horticulture Crops, Vegetable Crops Account Nearly 60%, Followed By Fruits (31.5%), Plantation (5.7%), Spices (2.4%) And Flowers And Aromatic Plants. During 2016-17, The Area Under Vegetables In India Is Estimated At 10.3 Million Hectares With A Production Of 175 Million Tonnes. India Produces Nearly 11% Of All The World’s Vegetables And 15% Of All Fruits. Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal And Madhya Pradesh Are The Leading States In Vegetable Production For The Year 2016-17. (Horticulture Statistics At A Glance, 2017)

Sericulture Sector.

Sericulture Is A Major Sub-Sector Comprising The Textiles Sector. Sericulture Emerged As An Important Economic Activity, Becoming Popular In Several Parts Of TheCountry, Because Of Its Short Gestation Period And Quick Recycling Of Resources. It Suits All Types Of Farmers And Exceptionally Marginal And Small Land Holders As It Offers Rich Opportunities For Enhancement Of Income And Creates FamilyEmployment Round The Year. India Is The Second Largest Producer Of Silk In The World And Has The Distinction Of Being The Only Country Producing All Five Kinds Of Silk Namely Mulberry, Eri, Muga, Tropical Tasar And Temperate Tasar. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh And Assam Were The Top Three Raw Silk Producing States In 2016-17. In 2016- 17 Total Raw Silk Production Reached 30,348 Metric Tonnes With An Annual Growth Of 6.4%. However, The Demand For Silk Is More Than The Production. In 2016-17 A Total Of 3795 Metric Tonnes Of Raw Silk Worth Rs.1092.26 Crore Was Imported Mainly From China, To Supplement The Domestic Production For Meeting The Increasing Demand. (Cso, Annual Report 2016-17). India Holds The Monopoly In Producing Muga Silk. It Is The Only Cash Crop In The Agriculture Sector That Gives Returns Within 30 Days.