CHAPTER-4
AGRO & ALLIED
4.1 Agriculture
Agriculture and its allied activities play a vital role in the socio-economic development of the State. The agriculture sector of Assam provides employment to the tune of 50% of population. The net cultivated area of the State is about 28.11 lakh hect ( 2009-10) which is about 88% of the total land available for agriculture purpose. The contribution of this sector to SDP was nearly 25 % during 2010-11. The area covered under paddy cultivation was 25.71 lakh hect and more than 91% of cultivable land is under production of food grains. Trend of production of food grains are shown below:
Table:4.1
Trend of Production of Food grains in Assam
( 000’ tones)
Item/s / 2006-07 / 2007-08 / 2008-09 / 2009-10 / 2010-11Total Rice / 2916 / 3319 / 4009 / 4409 / 5033
Wheat / 67 / 71 / 55 / 65 / 56
Total pulses / 59 / 61 / 62 / 66 / 72
Total food grains / 3060 / 3468 / 4142 / 4557 / 5178
Total oil seeds ( excl coconut) / 129 / 135 / 137 / 143 / 155
Source: Economic survey of Assam ,2011-12
4.1.1 Proposed for 12th Plan period:
In view of growing demand of food and attainment of food & nutrition security, sustainable crop diversification is necessary. It is proposed to increase Assam’s food grain demand from 51.78 lakh MT to 80.25 lakh MT in 2016-17. Target for 12th Plan period is given at Annexure-4.1.
4.1.2 Consumption of Chemical fertilizers:
The consumption in terms of nutrient (NPK) per hect is much lower than the National average. The consumption of fertilizers in the State was 67.09 kg/hect during 2010-11 against the all India average of 167.76 kg/hect. Season-wise consumption of Fertilizers are shown below:
Table: 4.2
Season-wise Consumption of Fertilizers
(fig in ‘000 MT)
Year / Season/s / Consumption in terms of materials / Consumption in terms of NutrientUrea / SSP / MOP / DAP / Total / N / P / K / Total
2009-10 / Kharif / 111.73 / 51.07 / 44.53 / 26.26 / 233.59 / 56.12 / 20.78 / 26.72 / 103.62
Ravi / 139.58 / 59.38 / 65.91 / 38.47 / 303.34 / 68.75 / 28.58 / 39.54 / 136.87
2010-11 / Kharif / 116.24 / 52.54 / 45.67 / 18.35 / 232.81 / NA / NA / NA / 6.45
Ravi / 136.84 / 52.48 / 62.90 / 41.50 / 293.71 / NA / NA / NA / 5.62
Source: Economic Survey of Assam, 2011-12
4.1.3 Consumption of Bio-Fertilizers:
The trend in uses of Bio-fertilizers in the State has increased significantly. Consumption of Bio-fertilizer in the state is shown below:
Table:4.3
Consumption of Bio-Fertilizers
Item/s / 2008-09 / 2009-10 / 2010-11Bio-Fertiliser (MT) / 178 / 227 / 175
Organic Manure ( including FYM) (lakh MT) / NA / 1.92 / 2.80
Sources: Economic Survey of Assam , 2011-12
4.1.4 Organic farming:
Organic farming is also now seen in different places of Assam for cultivation of Joha rice, Pineapple, Ginger , Turmeric, Oranges etc. Area under organic farming is given below:
Table:4.4
Area under Organic Farming
( fig in hect)
Crops / 2008-09 / 2009-10 / 2010-11Joha rice / 267.00 / 71.00 / 71.00
Pineapple / 157.00 / 157.00 / 157.00
Ginger / 957.00 / 957.00 / 750.00
Turmeric / 236.00 / 236.00 / 642.00
Orange / 2483.00 / 109.00 ? / 109.00
Total / 4100.00 / 1729.00
4.1.5 Special Crops:
Joha is an aromatic rice of Assam and has a good demand within the state as well as abroad. Now it is cultivated in almost all the districts of Assam and in some parts, SRI method is also implemented to increase its production.
4.2 Horticulture
Horticulture crops occupy 15% of the gross cultivated area of Assam and annual production of the state is more than 15 lakh MT of fruits, 44 lakh MT of vegetables and 2 lakh MT of spices besides nut crops, flowers and medicinal & aromatic plants. Production of horticulture crops are shown below:
Table: 4.6
Area, Production and Productivity of Horticultural crops
Crops / 2005-06 / 2006-07 / 2007-08 / 2008-09 / 2009-10 / 2010-11Fruits / Area ( lakh hect) / 1.13 / 1.14 / 1.16 / 1.34 / 1.27 / 1.32
Production (kg/hect) / 13.52 / 13.72 / 14.08 / 16.61 / 15.65 / 16.45
Productivity (kg/hect) / 12005 / 12139 / 12142 / 12425 / 12370 / 12480
Spices / Area ( lakh hect) / 0.86 / 0.86 / 0.88 / 0.93 / 0.94 / 0.98
Production (kg/hect) / 2.12 / 2.14 / 2.18 / 2.80 / 2.35 / 2.47
Productivity (kg/hect) / 2475 / 2476 / 2478 / 3023 / 2505 / 2530
Vegetables / Area ( lakh hect) / 2.32 / 2.36 / 2.38 / 2.46 / 2.51 / 2.60
Production (kg/hect) / 38.18 / 38.87 / 39.18 / 44.20 / 42.55 / 44.70
Productivity (kg/hect) / 16485 / 16469 / 16462 / 17923 / 16952 / 17192
Source: Economic Survey of Assam , 2011-12
Banana, Pineapple and Oranges are the major fruit crops in the State. Details of production is given at Table:4.6. According to an estimate, the state produces surplus quantity of fruits & vegetables to the tune of 26 lakh MT per annum.
Table:4.6
Area Production and Average yield of some Major Horticulture Crops in Assam during 2010-11 estimated
Sl no / Crops / Area in’000 hectare / Production in ‘000 MT / Average yield in Kg/hect.Fruits
1 / Banana / 47 / 724 / 15192
2 / Pineapple / 14 / 221 / 25750
3 / Orange / 14 / 160 / 11535
4 / Papaya / 7 / 134 / 18233
5 / Guava / 5 / 97 / 19975
6 / Litchi / 5 / 41 / 7789
7 / Mango / 5 / 47 / 9102
8 / Jackfruit / 22 / 202 / 9955
Spices
9 / Chilly / 18 / 13 / 736
10 / Turmeric / 15 / 12 / 830
11 / Onion / 8 / 22 / 2773
Tuber crops
12 / Potato / 87 / 738 / 8500
13 / Sweet Potato / 9 / 35 / 3870
14 / Tapioca / 4 / 32 / 7650
Nut crops
15 / Coconut* / 20 / 185 / 73
16 / Arecanut** / 68 / 403 / 153
Note: *Average yield in nuts per bearing tree production in ‘000 nuts, ** average yield in nuts per bearing tree production in tones in terms of dry cured nuts.
Sources: Economic Survey of Assam , 2011-12
4.3 Banana:
Assam produced around 724 thousand MT of Banana every year. Due to lack of processing industries, most of the Banana is exported to other parts of the country.
(A) Banana in Darrangagiri Hub of Goalpara district:
Darrangagiri is a small trading post on NH- 37, 100 km west of Guwahati under Koshdhuwa Tribal Development Block of Goalpara district of Assam. It is also connected by railway. The place is situated on the foothills of East-Garo Hills. The northern part of Darrangagiri is valley whereas the southern part is surrounded by slopes and hilly areas. The slopes are gentle but uneven, especially towards the Meghalaya part, and certain south bank tributaries of river Brahmaputra like Dudhnoi, Krishnai, Tulsi, etc. flow from these hill tracks. In summer, the temperature of the area goes upto 27-30 degree centigrade and it receives an average annual rainfall of 2167 mm. The soil quality of the area varies from normal to slightly alkaline. These features along with the existence of the hilly slopes make the place conducive for banana cultivation.
The place, Darrangagiri, has been traditionally a market hub of this area. Now it is also being referred as the largest banana market in Asia. Majority of produce of the banana marketed through the Darrangagiri market comes from the foothills of East Garo Hills district of Meghalaya and the periphery villages of the market and other surrounding districts of Goalpara.
The annual banana ‘export’ is about 20,00,000 bunches. The maximum produces are ‘exported’ to the states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and a small portion are also said to be exported to neighbouring country Nepal.
The banana in Darrangagiri market mainly comes from neighbouring villages, especially, from the villages of East Garo Hills, Meghalaya. The villages under Kharkuta Development Block of East Garo Hills, Koshdhuwa and Rangjuli Development Blocks of Goalpara district account for more than 90 percent of the bananas marketed through Darrangagiri.
The profiles of the community in Darrangagiri area are mostly Bodo, Rabha, Kachari, Bengali, Assamese, whereas the Garos are the main community in East Garo Hills district with Christianity as the religion. The communities in and around Darrangagiri areas are mainly occupied with agro-based activities like paddy cultivation, horticulture produces and to some extent certain traditional non-farm home based activities like weaving, craft, etc.
Table:4.7
Varieties of Banana in Darrangagiri Market
Sl No. /Banana varieties
/Market days
/Rate/bunch (chora)
1 / Malbhog / Monday / Rs. 100-2502 / Cheni-champa / Thursday, Friday, Saturday / Rs. 75-150
3 / Jahaji (Saheb) / Thursday, Friday, Saturday / Rs. 150-250
4 / Kashkal / Thursday, Friday, Saturday / Rs. 50-100
5 / Athia, Manohar, etc / Thursday, Friday, Saturday / Rs. 60-120
(B) Banana Fibre & use of Bark:
Banana plant is usually referred to as a tree but is actually a giant herb, whose trunk or stem is composed of overlapping leaf bases which sheath it. Each stem fruits only once, being replaced by new suckers which in turn flower, fruit and die. It is a tropical plant which grows in sheltered position. They are identified by large paddle shaped leaves with a thick midrib. Due to its length and the character to eventually droop, the edges of the leaves tend to fray.
Banana is mainly cultivated for its seedless fruit, which can be eaten raw as well as ripe. The flowers of the plant are also edible. The young plant along with the leaves have an auspicious value in the Indian culture. Banana leaf has a special utility in the southern part of India, where it is used as a plate for eating.
From Banana, two kinds of fibres can be used:
1. Banana bark fibre (the layers of the banana stem)
2. Banana pith fibre (the fibre extracted from the bark)
Assam has a large resource of natural fibres such as Jute, Banana, Birina (Khus), Water hyacinth, Coconut, Pineapple leaf, Ramie, etc. The rural artisans are converting these fibres into value added finished products such as bags, table mats, cushion covers, hats, floor coverings, etc., and such activity provides large employment to the rural poor, specially the underprivileged class.
To-day, extracting Banana fibre from the Banana bark is very simple by using small machinery which cost is around Rs.50000/- only. The Fibre which comes out from the machines is to be sun dried and may be used for manufacturing of various handicraft articles like bags, purses, etc which are high value items. The same fibre may be used in Handloom sector too.
The Banana bark is another item which can be used for production of various articles of handicraft, ropes, etc and even may be used in handloom. The bark ( Kolor Dhakuwa) should be sun dried first , after that the same may be washed and dried again and after that the dried barks may be used for making mat, rope and other articles.
4.4 Marketable Surplus of some Fruits & Spices ( Assam & North Easter Region):
Assam produces varieties of horticulture crops but there is a lack of processing industries. There might be non-availability of adequate supply of Raw materials or no surplus for the industries. Assam is considered as catchment area of NER for all surplus Agri-Horticulture products. Some quantity sold in the State of Assam or transit through Assam to other parts of the country. An assessment of surplus of such products has been made following the existing criteria and taking into accounts of products of the other NE states. Following are the marketable surplus of some products : ( in Table:4.8)
Table:4.8
Marketable Surplus of various products of Assam & North Eastern Region
A. Fruits
1. Pineapple
States / Season of availability / Marketable surplus (MT)Assam / May/June, Nov/Dec / 151241
Nagaland / July/August / 66300
Meghalaya / June/September, December/February / 57206
Arunachal Pradesh / May/August / 19374
Mizoram / June/July / 2148
Tripura / May/July, November/December / 25
Total / 296294
2. Oranges
States / Season of availability / Marketable surplus (MT)Assam / November/February / 45056
Nagaland / November/February / 26421
Meghalaya / December/March / 19386
Mizoram / November/January / 20040
Arunachal Pradesh / November/January / 14540
Tripura / November/January / 10
Total / 125453
3. Banana
States / Season of availability / Marketable surplus (MT)Assam / Whole year / 413066
Nagaland / Whole year / 38482
Arunachal Pradesh / Whole year / 7882
Mizoram / Whole year / 7362
Total / 466792
4. Guava
States / Season of availability / Marketable surplus (MT)Assam / September/October / 40968
Nagaland / September/October / 5100
Arunachal Pradesh / September/October / 2224
Mizoram / September/October / 1346
Total / 49638
5. Jackfruits
States / Season of availability / Marketable surplus (MT)Assam / June/September / 109329
Mizoram / June/September / 950
Tripura / May/July / 100
Total / 110379
6. Arecanut
States / Season of availability / Marketable surplus (MT)Assam / July/October / 47782
Meghalaya / October/March / 5486
Mizoram / November/March / 4588
Total / 57856
B. Spices
1. Ginger
States / Season of availability / Marketable surplus (MT)Assam / October//March / 79054
Meghalaya / December/March / 42655
Mizoram / December/March / 28022
Arunachal Pradesh / January/March / 19377
Nagaland / January/March / 10729
Total / 179837
2. Turmeric