Agriculture Profile of the State Agro-Climate Condition

Transcription

1 Agriculture Profile of the State Agro-Climate Condition Bihar with a geographical area of about 94.2 thousand square km is divided by river Ganges into two parts, the north Bihar with an area of 53.3 thousand square km and the south Bihar having an area of 40.9 thousand square km. Based on soil characterization, rainfall, temperature and terrain, four main agro-climatic zones in Bihar have been identified. These are: Zone-I, North Alluvial Plain, Zone- II, north East Alluvial Plain, Zone-III A South East Alluvial Plain and Zone-III B, South West Alluvial Plain, each with its own unique prospects. Agro climatic zone I and II is located south of the river Ganges whereas the Zone III is located south of the river Ganges. Zone I is situated in the north western part of the state whereas zone II is located in the north eastern part. Zone I and II are flood prone whereas zone III is drought prone. Potential wise all three agro climatic zones have vast untapped potential for increasing the productivity of food grain crops. Across the state soil texture is varies from sandy loam to heavy clay. However the majority type belongs to loam category which is good for crop cultivation. The natural precipitation varies from 990 to 1700 mm. Most of the precipitation is received during the month of July to September. Soil PH varies from 6.5 to 8.4. There are three crop seasons- Kharif, Rabi and Zaid. Rice, wheat and pulses are grown in all the districts however the choice of the crop and crop rotation varies across the agro climatic zone. Being located between 25 to 27 degree North latitude the climate of Bihar is of mostly sub-tropical. Nevertheless region close to Tropic of Cancer experiences tropical climate during summer. Like all the Indian states Bihar also reels under hot summer season during months of March to May. Average temperature is degree Celsius throughout the summer months. April and June are the hottest months of the year. December to January is the winter season in Bihar because of its location is Northern hemisphere. The winter in Bihar is mild with average temperature being 5 to 10 degree Celsius. Bihar gets its maximum rainfall during South-West monsoon season which prevails from June to September. The average rainfall of Bihar is around 120 cm. As far as soil resources are concerned Bihar has three types of soil: montane, alluvium and marshy/swampy soil of Tarai. The detailed description about the agro climatic zone is as follows.

2 Table 1: Name of the districts under each Agro-Climatic Zone Sl. No Agro-climatic zone Agro- climatic zone I (Northern West) Agro-climatic Zone II (Northern East) Agro-climatic zone IIIA (Southern East) Agro-climatic zone IIIB (Southern West) Districts West Champaran, East Champaran, Siwan, Saran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Gopalganj, Begusarai Purnea, Katihar, Saharsa, Supaul, Madhepura, Khagaria, Araria, Kishanganj. Sheikhpura, Munger, Jamui, Lakhisarai, Bhagalpur & Banka. Rohtas, Bhojpur, Buxar, Bhabhua, Arwal, Patna, Nalanda, Nawada, Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Gaya. Table 2: Important Physiographic features of the Agro-climatic Zone Sl. No Agro-climatic zone Agro- climatic zone I (Northern West) Agro-climatic Zone II (Northern East) Agro-climatic zone III (Southern East & West) General Climatic Features Soil Sandy loam, loam Sandy loam, Clay loam Sandy loam, Clay loam, loam, Clay ph Total Rainfall (mm) ( ) ( ) ( ) Temperature ( 0 C) Max. Min In general climate of the state is characterized by three distinct seasons, i.e. cool- day winter, hot-day summer and warm wet rainy season. Cool- day season extends from October to February with fairly low temperature varying between 7 0 C and 16 0 C, very little rain, clear sky and relatively low humidity. Hot dry Season spreads over March to Mid June with temperatures rising upto 44/45 0 C with low humidity. Warm-wet season is the period of monsoon from mid-june to September. During this period temperatures range from 24 0 C to 35 0 C with cloudy sky and high humidity. The average annual rainfall varies from 1100 to 1250 mm.

3 The daily temperature comes down to C in December January in north Bihar plains. Since rainfall distribution is dictated by climate and vegetation, the rainfed areas are constrained in their choice of crops, technology and resultant levels of productivity. On an average, the plain region of Bihar records a mean annual total rainfall of 1297 mm which is distributed in the monsoon, autumn, winter and summer seasons as 1039, 32, 110 and 58 mm, respectively. Zone wise agro- climatic situation of Bihar plains enunciates that agro-climatic zone II records the highest rainfall (1381.9mm) followed by zone I ( mm) and zone III receives the least rainfall ( mm). Rainfall during the monsoon varies from the lowest of mm in zone III to the highest of mm in zone II and a moderate rainfall of mm in zone I. During the autumn months (October-November), zones I, II and III receive the rains of (zone I), 28.7 (zone II) and 31.95mm (zone III). Summer season receives 1102, and mm in agro-climatic zones I, II and III, respectively. Physiography and Soil (a) Agro- Climatic Zone I: The lands of this zone which are alluvial plains are sloppy towards the south east direction with a very low gradient as evidenced by the direction in which the rivers flow. However, the rivers move eastward direction along the natural levee before they finally meet the Ganga. As a result, there are vast waterlogged areas in the districts of Saran, Vaishali and Samastipur. Due to near flatness of the landscape, vast area gets flooded during rains. The north eastern portion of this zone, the Don hills valleys is glacial hills and valleys.

4 Except for the northern portion and portion in the west of the zone under the influence of Adhwara system of rivers, the entire zone is under the influence of rivers like Gandak, Burhi Gandak and Ghaghra, all of which originate in the lime rich foothills of the Himalayas. Thus, the soil under the influence of Gandak, Burhi Gandak and Ghaghra are mostly calcareous having different amounts of lime in them. The soils of Siwan and Gopalganj districts with less rainfall and more pronounced dry seasons have developed salinity as well as alkalinity. Similarly, the soil of nearly flat lands of East and West Champaran, Muzaffarpur and also salt affected. The soils of the northern part not under the influence of the above rivers are neutral, acidic or saline depending on the micro relief and local physiography. This zone has the following six broad soil association groups: i. Sub Himalayan and forest soils ii. Recent alluvial tarai soils iii. Young alluvial calcareous soils iv. Young alluvial calcareous saline soils v. Young alluvial non calcareous, non saline soils, and vi. Recent alluvial calcareous soils

5 As all the rivers and rivulets originate in the high Himalayas, dominated by mechanical weathering of rocks, the soils are mostly light to medium light textured except those away from the direct influence of the rivers. The upland soils are well drained to moderately well drained. The medium low lands and the low lands soils, although of good to moderate permeability, have become some what poorly drained due to high water table in the areas. The soils are moderately rich to poor in nitrogen (especially in Gopalganj and Siwan districts), moderate to very low in available phosphorus and medium to high in available potash. The soils are showing symptoms of deficiency of zinc and iron mostly induced by high available calcium. (b) Agro- Climatic Zone II: This zone, the alluvial plains of Kosi, Mahananda and its tributes and Ganga (a narrow strip in the south) is slightly undulating to rolling landscape mixed with long stretches of nearly flat landscape with pockets of areas having sub normal relief. The area is full of streams with abandoned dead channels of Kosi river, which becomes notorious for its frequent and sudden change of courses forming small lakes and shallow marshes. In the south, in between the natural levees of Ganga, on the one hand and Kosi and Mahananda on the other, there are vas areas which remain waterlogged for a considerable part of the year. The general slope of the land is towards south east and the rivers on reaching Ganga moves eastward for a long distance before they meet river Ganga. Unlike the rivers Gandak and Ghaghra, Kosi and Mahananda originate and have catchments in Himalayan region, which are not calcareous but rich in acidic minerals. As a result, the soils of this zone are non calcareous, accumulation of sodium salts and sodium adsorption has taken place in areas where the drainage is poor. Salinity and alkalinity are, however, on an increase in Saharsa and western part of Purnea and Katihar districts. As both Kosi and Mahananda carry a tremendous load of sediments, the soil are mostly light textured except in backwaters of river Ganga and Kosi. Three broad soil association groups have been identified in this zone are: 1. Recent alluvial tarai soil 2. Recent alluvial non calcareous soil, and 3. Recent alluvial calcareous soil.

6 The soils are very light to medium textured except for those in between the natural levees of Ganga and Kosi and Mahananda and away from the influence of running water of the rivers. Even the heavy textured soils under the influence of Kosi and Mahananda have sandy substratum below 40 to 100 cm depths. The soils are mostly moderately acidic to neutral. Very acidic soils are found in northeast parts with heavy rainfall and high permeability. The soils are excessively drained to poorly drained mainly depending on local physiography and depth of water table. With the introduction of irrigation without providing adequate drainage ways, the water table is rising and water logged areas and saline patches are increasing. The soils are very poor to poor in nitrogen especially with the very light textured soils, very poor to medium in available phosphorus and potash. Deficiencies of zinc and boron and toxicity of manganese have been recognized in these areas. (c) Agro-Climatic Zone III: This zone is the alluvial plains of river Ganga on its southern side and the sediments are received both from river Ganga and those flowing from the south having their origins in the Chotanagpur Plateau, which rise abruptly from the plains. The land s slope is towards north east with gentle slope gradient and moderate to low gradient. In the south of the natural levee of the Ganga, there is vast stretch of backwaters known as Tal lands extending from Buxar to Pirpaity, where most of the rivers and rivulets coming from the south get lost. The flood plains of Ganga, which get reworked and get eroded and deposited at regular intervals, are lighter than Tal lands and are known locally as Diara lands. The river originating from the Chotanagpur plateau brings a lot of fine sediments. The coarser sediments that they bring are either deposited in their beds or on their banks and as a consequence, the soils are mostly medium to heavy textured throughout the depth of the profiled. There are no marshy lands in this zone. The main broad soil association groups recognized in this zone are : 1. Recent alluvial calcareous soils 2. Tal land soils, light grey, dark grey medium to heavy textured soils 3. Old alluvial reddish yellow, yellowish grey centenary soils. 4. Old alluvial grey, grayish yellow, heavy texture soils with cracking nature,

7 5. Recent alluvial yellowish to reddish yellow non calcareous non saline soils. 6. Old alluvial yellowish to red yellow soils of foot hills, and 7. Old alluvial saline and saline alkali soils. The soils of this zone except that of Diara area and Tal lands are moderately well drained to somewhat poorly drained, moderately acidic to slightly alkaline and medium textured to heavy textured soils. The soils of paddy lands have developed impervious layer of varying thickness and imperviousness varies from simple semi developed somewhat porous clay pans to practically very hard impervious thick layers with slickenside. The soils are poor to moderate in nitrogen and poor to moderately rich in available phosphorus and potash. The soils of medium low to low lands are comparatively more fertile. The soils of Tal lands are highly clayey throughout their depths, grey to dark grey in colour, neutral to slightly alkaline in reaction. These soils are moderately rich in nitrogen, available P and K and very hard under normal conditions. The Diara land soils with their undulating landscapes are generally very light to medium heavy textured but all underlain by sandy layers within 80 to 100 cm of their surface and very well drained to moderately well drained, neutral to slightly alkaline in reaction. Their fertility status varies widely from poor to very fertile depending upon their physiographic positions but all are under moisture stress due to the occurrence of sandy substratum. Land Utilization Pattern Out of total geographical area, lakh hectare is under cultivation which is around 60 per cent of the total. The detail land use classification of the state is depicted in table lakh hectare area is put to cultivation more than once in a year. Therefore the Gross cropped area is lakh hectares. The cropping intensity is 138 percent (table 4). Table 3: Land Use Classification Sl. No. Category Area in Lakh hect. i. Forest 6.21 ii. Barren & non-cultivatable land 4.36 iii. Land put to non-agriculture uses 16.44

8 iv. Culturable Waste land 0.45 v. Permanent pasture 0.18 vi. Area under misc. Crops 2.38 vii. Other fallow (2 to 5 years) 1.30 viii. Current fallow 5.13 ix. Net area sown Table 4: Cropping Intensity (138%) Sl. No. Category Area in Lakh hect. i. Gross cropped area ii. Area sown more than once Distribution of Operational Holdings There are around 1.04 crore landholdings in the State of which around 83 percent are marginal holdings of size less than 1 hectare (Table 5). With around 90 percent of the total population living in rural areas, agriculture as the primary feeder of rural economy continues to operate not only on margins of land but also on the margins of human enterprise. Without increasing returns to these margins, not much can be done realistically to develop the agricultural sector. Thus, agriculture continues to define both the potentialities and constraints to development in Bihar. Table 5: Distribution of Holdings by Size Class

9 Category of farmers Marginal (0-1Ha.) No. of Holdings 86,45,932 (82.9%) Operational holding (In Ha.) 27,87,789 (40.8%) Small (1-2 Ha.) 10,05,650 (9.6%) 13,00,667 (19.0%) Semi medium (2-4 Ha.) 5,90,970 (5.7%) 15,82,279 (23.1%) Medium (4-10 Ha.) 1,78,295 (1.7%) 9,75,355 (14.3%) Large (10-above Ha.) 11,570 (0.1%) 1,93,760 (2.8%) Total 1,04,32,417 (100%) 68,39,850 (100%) Source : Agricultural Census Division, Ministry of Agriculture, New Delhi Irrigation Out of the Gross cropped area of lakh ha. area under assured irrigation is about lakh hectares. Tube well is the major source of irrigation which irrigates 63 percent (28.3lakh hectare) of the area under assured irrigation. Area under canal irrigation is 13.7 lakh hectares (30 percent). Districtwise/ sourcewise/ zonewise details of area under assured irrigation is given in table 6. Table 6: Zonal Classification of total irrigated area through different sources. (Unit in hect.) Name of Canal Tube well Other Total irrigated Area District sources Zone I Darbhanga E. Champaran Gopalganj Madhubani Muzaffarpur Samastipur Saran Sheohar Sitamarhi

10 Name of Canal Tube well Other Total irrigated Area District sources Siwan Vaishali W. Champaran Zone total Zone II Araria Begusarai Katihar Khagaria Kishanganj Madhepura Purnea Saharsa Supaul Zone total Zone III A Banka Bhagalpur Jamui Lakhisarai Munger Sheikhpura Zone total Zone III B Arwal Aurangabad Bhojpur Buxar Gaya

11 Name of Canal Tube well Other Total irrigated Area District sources Jehanabad Kaimur Nalanda Nawada Patna Rohtas Zone total Grand total Agriculture & Allied Sector Agriculture Cropping Pattern Cropping pattern in dominated by cereals. Rice-wheat cropping system occupies more than 70% of the gross cropped area. Pulses occupy around 7 percent of the gross cropped area. The important cropping sequence of different zones is: Zone I : Rice Wheat, Rice Rai, Rice Sweet Potato, Rice Maize (Rabi), Maize Wheat, Maize Sweet Potato, Maize Rai, Rice Lentil, Rice-linseed Zone II : Jute Wheat, Jute Potato, Jute Kalai, Jute Mustard, Rice Wheat Moong, Rice Toria Zone III : Rice Wheat, Rice Gram, Rice Lentil, Rice Rai Trend in Food grain production The growth trend for food grain production has not been commensurate to the potential of the state. Food grain production growth rate has been less than 1% during the last decade. There were two successive poor crop years during and with food grain production has been restricted to about 80 lakh MT. The food grain production during was around 117 lakh MT.

12 Agriculture in the state is prone to natural calamity. Whereas the North Bihar districts are affected by the recurrent flood the south Bihar districts are prone to lack of rainfall. The coverage under rice, wheat, total maize and oilseeds crop is estimated to increase about 9.6, 6.7, 2.0 and less than 1 per cent respectively in from , while the area under total pulses decrease to about 10 per cent (Graph1). However, the productivity trend shows a positive slope over the same period (Graph 2). Area under different crops Area (Lakh Ha.) Rice Wheat Total Maize Total Pulses Total Oilseeds (Last est.) Name of the crop Productivity trend of different crops (Last est.) Kg./Ha. Rice Wheat Total Maize Total Pulses Total Oilseeds Year

13 The zone wise area, production and productivity of food gains, total oilseeds and sugarcane in year is given in table 7.The productivity of rice is about national average in old Sahabad districts, which falls under Zone-IIIB, while the productivity of wheat is almost at same level in Zone-I and Zone- III B. About 50 per cent area under maize crop is in Zone-II and West Champaran and Gopalganj district of Zone-I cover about 80 per cent of total sugarcane area of the state. In case of pulses, gram and lentil are extensively grown in Zone-III with about 67 and 55 per cent respectively area of these crops falls under this zone. Moong is predominately grown in all the three season in Zone I and II while about 87 per cent area of Arhar crop in Zone I and III.

14 Table 7: Area, Production and Yield of major crops during (A- Ha., P- M.T., Y- Kg) Rice Wheat Total Maize Name of Districts A P Y A P Y A P Y Zone-I Darbhanga E.Champaran Gopalganj Madhubani Muzaffarpur Samastipur Saran Sheohar Sitamarhi Siwan Vaishali W.Champaran Zone total Zone-II Araria Begusarai Katihar Khagaria Kishanganj Madhepura Purnia Saharsa Supaul Zone total Zone-III A Banka Bhagalpur Jamui Lakhisarai Munger Sheikhpura Zone total Zone-III B Arwal Aurangabad Bhojpur Buxar Gaya Jahanabad Kaimur Nalanda Nawada Patna Rohtas Zone total Grand total

15 Name of Districts Gram Lentil Total Moong A P Y A P Y A P Y Zone-I Darbhanga E.Champaran Gopalganj Madhubani Muzaffarpur Samastipur Saran Sheohar Sitamarhi Siwan Vaishali W.Champaran Zone total Zone-II Araria Begusarai Katihar Khagaria Kishanganj Madhepura Purnia Saharsa Supaul Zone total Zone-III A Banka Bhagalpur Jamui Lakhisarai Munger Sheikhpura Zone total Zone-III B Arwal Aurangabad Bhojpur Buxar Gaya Jahanabad Kaimur Nalanda Nawada Patna Rohtas Zone total Grand total

16 Arhar Total Pulses Total Foodgrains Name of Districts A P Y A P Y A P Y Zone-I Darbhanga E.Champaran Gopalganj Madhubani Muzaffarpur Samastipur Saran Sheohar Sitamarhi Siwan Vaishali W.Champaran Zone total Zone-II Araria Begusarai Katihar Khagaria Kishanganj Madhepura Purnia Saharsa Supaul Zone total Zone-III A Banka Bhagalpur Jamui Lakhisarai Munger Sheikhpura Zone total Zone-III B Arwal Aurangabad Bhojpur Buxar Gaya Jahanabad Kaimur Nalanda Nawada Patna Rohtas Zone total Grand total

17 Name of Districts Mustard Total Oilseed Sugarcane A P Y A P Y A P Y Zone-I Darbhanga E.Champaran Gopalganj Madhubani Muzaffarpur Samastipur Saran Sheohar Sitamarhi Siwan Vaishali W.Champaran Zone total Zone-II Araria Begusarai Katihar Khagaria Kishanganj Madhepura Purnia Saharsa Supaul Zone total Zone-III A Banka Bhagalpur Jamui Lakhisarai Munger Sheikhpura Zone total Zone-III B Arwal Aurangabad Bhojpur Buxar Gaya Jahanabad Kaimur Nalanda Nawada Patna Rohtas Zone total Grand total

18 Horticulture Bihar has the opportunity to have varied types of agro climatic conditions, congenial for growing almost all the horticultural crops. Horticulture is growing popularity owing to the high value of horticulture produces than agriculture crops. However, there needs to be a grater impetus in boosting the irrigation resources of the state and in promoting horticulture in intensive mode in the state. According to the old and existing data, a brief analysis is made on the status of Horticulture in the state which is furnished below: Fruit Crops The major fruit crops grown in Bihar are Mango, Guava, Litchi, Banana, etc. apart from these major crops minor crops like. Makhana, Pineapple, Betelvine are also grown. The area of fruit crops in Bihar during was thousand hectares which was increased to thousand hectares in Similarly the production was also increased from thousand metric tonnes in to thousand metric tonnes in , the productivity of fruit crops has also increased significantly in (13.2) as compared to (11.2). Almost all the districts of North Bihar particularly Muzaffarpur, East Champaran and Samastipur have good potentiality in respect of litchi cultivation. Similarly Makhana, a pioneer fruit of Bihar is also grown intensively in the districts of Darbhanga, Madhubani, Saharsa, Katihar, Araria and Purnea. Vegetables Almost all vegetable crops like solanaceous, cucurbits, beans, cole crops, okra, onion and other root crops are widely grown successfully in the state. The total area of vegetable crops was recorded thousand hectare with the production of thousand metric tonnes ( ) which increased to thousand hectare with the production of thousand metric tonnes ( ). The area, production and productivity were increased to 4.13 percent, 8.8 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively, comparing with the base line It is worth while to mention that the productivity of vegetable crops in very much comparable with the national average (16.1 MT/ha) during

19 Spices Chilli, Turmeric, Coriander, Ginger, Garlic & Methi are the major spices grown in Bihar. The total area of spices was recorded thousand hectare in which increased to thousand hectare in The productivity was also increased from 1.10 MT/ha to MT/ha during the said period. Flowers The major commercial flowers like Marigold, Rose, Tuberose Gladiolus and Jasmine are cultivated in Bihar. Though, it is in infancy stage of development, however, the total area was increased significantly from ha ( ) to ha ( ). Aromatic Plants The aromatic plants like Japanese Mint, Lemongrass, Pamaroja, J. citronella have been promoted by Horticulture Mission for commercial cultivation among farmers. The present area of aromatic plants in the state is 2600 ha which was only 2100 ha during Area and Production The area and production of fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers and aromatic crops from the year, to is given in table 8.

20 Table 8: Area and Production of horticultural crops over the year. Area '000ha, Production '000MT. Sl. No. Particulars Area Prodn. Area Prodn. Area Prodn. Area Prodn. 1. Fruits Vegetables Spices NA NA Flowers NA NA NA NA NA 5. Aromatic Plants NA NA 2.10 NA 2.45 NA 2.60 NA The zone wise area and production of major fruits and vegetables is given in table 9 (A & B) and 10 (A & B). Zone I is hub of horticultural crops, more than 50 per cent of total fruit area of the state falls in this zone. The belt of River Gandak which is best suited for litchi cultivation is flow in this zone and about 80 per cent of total litchi grown in this part of the state. The area under mango and banana is about 56 and 57 per cent respectively in Zone-I. Pineapple is grown only in Zone-II. Similarly, Zone I grows about 40 per cent of total vegetable of the state. Area under important vegetables viz., tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, brinjal, okra etc, is more than 40 per cent in this zone. Out of total acreage of potato, about 39 and 31 per cent area in Zone I and Zone III B respectively, while 65 per cent of onion grown in these two zones.

21 Table 9 A: Zone wise area under Major fruit crop during (In Ha) Name of District Mango Guava Litchi Lemon Banana Pine Papaya Aonla Others Total apple Darbhanga E Champaran Gopalganj Madhubani Muzaffarpur Samastipur Saran Sheohar Sitamarhi Siwan Vaishali W Champaran Zone I total Araria Begusarai Katihar Khagaria Kishanganj Madhepura Purnea Saharsa Supaul Zone II total Banka Bhagalpur Jamui Lakhisarai Munger Sheikhpura Zone III A total Arwal Aurangabad Bhojpur Buxar Gaya Jehanabad Kaimur Nalanda Nawada Patna Rohtas Zone III B total Grand Total

22 Table 9 B: Zone wise production of Major fruit crop during (In M.T.) Name of District Mango Guava Litchi Lemon Banana Pine Papaya Aonla Others Total apple Darbhnaga E Champaran Gopalganj Madhubani Muzaffarpur Samastipur Saran Sheohar Sitamarhi Siwan Vaishali W Champaran Zone I total Araria Begusarai Katihar Khagaria Kishanganj Madhepura Purnea Saharsha Supaul Zone II total Banka Bhagalpur Jamui Lakhisarai Munger Sheikhpura Zone III A total Arwal Aurangabad Bhojpur Buxar Gaya Jehanabad Kaimur Nalanda Nawada Patna Rohtas Zone III B total Grand total

23 Table 10 A: Zone wise area under Major vegetable crop during (In Ha) Name of Potato Onion Tomato Cauli Cab Brinjal Okra Chilli Bottle Total Districts flower bage gourd Darbhanga E.Champaran Gopalganj Madhubani Muzaffarpur Samastipur Saran Sheohar Sitamarhi Siwan Vaishali W.Champaran Zone I total Araria Begusarai Katihar Khagaria Kishanganj Madhepura Purnea Saharsha Supaul Zone II total Banka Bhagalpur Jamui Lakhisarai Munger Sheikhpura Zone III A total Arwal Aurangabad Bhojpur Buxar Gaya Jehanabad Kaimur Nalanda Nawada Patna Rohtas Zone III B total Grand total

24 Table 10 B: Zone wise production of Major vegetable crop during (In M.T.) Name of Potato Onion Tomato Cauli Cab Brinjal Okra Chilli Bottle Total Districts flower bage gourd Darbhanga E.Champaran Gopalganj Madhubani Muzaffarpur Samastipur Saran Sheohar Sitamarhi Siwan Vaishali W.Champaran Zone I total Araria Begusarai Katihar Khagaria Kishanganj Madhepura Purnea Saharsha Supaul Zone II total Banka Bhagalpur Jamui Lakhisarai Munger Sheikhpura Zone III A total Arwal Aurangabad Bhojpur Buxar Gaya Jehanabad Kaimur Nalanda Nawada Patna Rohtas Zone IIIB total Grand Total

25 Livestock Population The state farming system is characterized by large number of livestock. In the present era of fast rising population and progressive decrease in holding size, Animal Husbandry has a special role to play for economic sustainability of the majority of the people. Livestock plays a subsidiary role in the farm as far as food production is concerned, though their role in absorbing the huge quantities of crop residues, coarse grains, cereals by-products and farm left-over and returning valuable manure to the soil to sustain their fertility for generations is significant. Livestock in general and dairying in particular is emerging as a driving force in the growth of agricultural sector in Bihar. The zone wise Livestock wealth of the state (table 11) shows that the population of indigenous cattle is about per cent of the total bovine, wherein cross bred cattle and buffalo shares nearly 7.74 and per cent respectively. This indicates that the majority of population prefers the indigenous cattle. As regards poultry, apart from backyard poultry production by the small farmer, commercial poultry has not yet taken off. Table 11: Zone wise Livestock population Particulars Zone-I Zone-II Zone-III State total Cross bred cattle Desi Cattle Total cattle Buffalo Bovine Goats Sheep Pigs Poultry (Source: Livestock census 2003) Dairy

26 Milk is the most important livestock product at 50 percent of total livestock output. Milk sector contributed around 70% of the total livestock sector. Bihar s livestock wealth is around 5.6 percent of total national livestock population. In , total production of milk was estimated to be 5060 thousand tons, which amounted to 5.2% of the national milk production and the State ranked tenth in the country despite the fact that it is endowed with good natural resources like water and very fertile Gangetic alluvial land, implying low productivity of animals. Per capita availability of milk in Bihar during was gms per day against a national average of 241 gms per day. The Indian Council of Medical Research has recommended the minimum requirement of gms of milk per person per day indicating a shortage of around 66 gms per capita. Of the total milk production (138.0 lakh kgs per day as per estimates), the cooperative sector handled around 8% of the marketable surplus available. Rest of it was traded mainly by the un-organised sector. But huge potential exists in this sector, which is yet to be exploited. The compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of milk handled by the cooperative sector is around 13%. Fisheries Development The State has vast resources for Fisheries Development. It includes about 69,000 hectare ponds and tanks, 9,000 ha ox-bow lakes, 7,200 ha reservoirs, 3,200 Km rivers and about 1,00,000 ha reverine, flood wetlands and water logged area. Fisheries sector in Bihar has made a great strides during the last decades with the production level increasing from 1.95 lakh tones in to 2.67 lakh tones in registering an average annual increase of 3.26 per cent. The production increases to 3.06 lakh tones in The annual fish demand of the State is nearly 4.56 lakh tones. 1 Annual Report of Dept. of AH & Dairying, Min. of Agriculture for , GOI; pp 8,28 2 Dairy India 2007, Sixth edition, pp 27

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