bad WEST BENGAL: AGRICULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS Prfile 2010
CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE NO. AGRICULTURE FOCUS AREAS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL 3 POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL 5 AGRICULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS 6 AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS 7 AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION 13 Pagina 2 di 15
AGRICULTURE FOCUS AREAS OF THE GOVERNMENTOF WEST BENGAL Agriculture Mechanizatin The State Gvernment has established Implement Hubs in rural areas which help farmers t take agricultural implements n hire t be used by farmers fr a fee Varius schemes started by the State and the Central Gvernment help in the financial assistance fr ppularizatin f farm equipments The State Gvernment thrugh its agencies and Agricultural Universities prmtes agricultural machinery thrugh the demnstratin f newly develped farm equipments The aim f the Gvernment is dubling f Farm Pwer t 2.5 Kw / hur frm 1.25 Kw / hur by 2011; the market wuld require small implements f lw Hrse Pwer Pst Harvest Technlgy The State Gvernment is fcusing n small and mini cld strages which culd be develped indigenusly lcal technlgy; farmers culd stre prduce t the magnitude f 5000-10000 Kilgrams fr 3-4 mnths; sme subsidy schemes wuld be used fr the same Organic Farming The State Gvernment is prmting the use f Bi fertilizers and sme Bi villages have been frmed where demnstratins frm Organic Farming experts are given t farmers Bi Fertilizer Labratries are being planned in every sub divisin f the state The target is t bring 20% f the arable land under rganic farming Sil rejuvenatin Due t the extensive use f fertilizers, the sil lses sme micr nutrients; Sil Testing Labratries have been planned in every sub divisin f the state where farmers can bring sil frm their fields and get it tested and a cure culd be prescribed Pagina 3 di 15
Seed New varieties f seeds are being planned by the State Gvernment which wuld be f high yielding variety Seed Villages are being frmed where farmers are imparted with training t prduce quality certified seeds f Paddy, Pulses, Cereals, Oilseeds, Chilies and Green Vegetables Seed Banks are als being frmed where seeds wuld be made available t farmers whenever required and infrastructure wuld be created t develp and distribute quality seeds Crp Specefic Fcus Rice: Increasing the yield thrugh Seed Replacement Wheat: Yield Increase and the use f Zer Tillage Equipments Cereals: Area Expansin and increasing the yield Pulses: Area Expansin and increasing the yield Pagina 4 di 15
POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL Raising agricultural prductin and prductivity thrugh the wider adptin f apprpriate ec-system-specific and cst effective technlgy since land is a finite resurce Increasing the use and applicatin f fertilizers Emphasizing the increased prductin f Pulses and Oilseeds in nn-traditinal areas and nn-cnventinal seasns and utilizing residual misture and imprving prductivity with the right applicatin f available technlgy Encuraging small and marginal farmers t maintain the increased prductin by prviding inputs at a reasnable price Encuraging farmers t adpt mechanizatin fr timely farm peratin and reducing the cst f cultivatin Emphasizing n the maintenance f sil health, use f Bi-fertilizers, green manure balanced nutritin and judicius use f irrigatin water T strengthen and activate Agricultural Extensin Service including Training Managing crisis in the event f natural calamities Creating emplyment pprtunities t imprve the sci-ecnmic status f farmers Explitatin f the surface water ptential and reductin in the indiscriminate use f grund water Imprving the level f Pst Harvest technlgy Crp diversificatin Bringing cultivable waste land and fallw land under cultivatin Emphasizing n the cncept f Zer Tillage / minimum tillage in vulnerable areas Recycling rain water Applicatin f lw cst technlgy fr increasing the prductin and prductivity Pagina 5 di 15
AGRICULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS West Bengal has 8% f India s ppulatin with 2.7 % f its ttal area Marginal & Small Farmers cnstitute 95% f the 5.7 Millin farmers There are 7.3 Millin Farm Wrkers Agriculture cntributes nearly $ 16 Billin r 24% t the State Dmestic Prduct annually The ppulatin density at 903 persns per Kilmetere (Km) puts immense pressure n the land The state is first in India in the prductin f Rice, Vegetables, Fishery (inland) and Pineapple, secnd in the prductin f Ptat and Tea and third in prductin f flwers Pagina 6 di 15
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS (i) Basic Demgraphy Ttal Ppulatin (2008) 8,66,59,000 Rural Ppulatin (%) 72 Urban Ppulatin (%) 28 Ppulatin Density (Persns per Square Km) 903 (ii) Agricultural land Ttal Gegraphic Area (Hectares) 88,75, 200 Grss crpped Area (Hectares) 97,51,000 Net Swn Area (Hectares) 52,95,000 Cultivable Area (Hectares) 71,14,000 Irrigated Area (%) 62 Average Land Hlding (Hectare) 0.82 Number f Agricultural Hldings (Units) 69,53,922 Agr Climatic Regins 6 Crpping Intensity (%) 184 (1 Hectare=10000 Sq.m) Pagina 7 di 15
(iii) Categries f Farmers Categry f Farmers Individual Land hldings Percentage in the categry Marginal 0-1 Hectare 76 Small & Semi Medium 1-4 Hectares 23 Medium 4-10 Hectares 0.82 Large Abve 10 Hectares 0.18 Surce:Agricultural Census (1995-96) (1 Hectare=10000 Sq.m) (iv) Prductin f Fd Grains (Millin Tnnes) 2006 07 2007 08 2008 09 Rice 14.74 14.71 15.03 Cereals 15.82 15.90 16.16 Wheat 0.80 0.91 0.76 Pulses 0.15 0.16 0.13 Oilseeds 0.65 0.70 0.58 Ptat 5.05 9.90 4.12 (1 Tnne=1000 Kilgrams) Pagina 8 di 15
(v) Percentage f Prductin f Majr Crps vis-a-vis All India prductin 2006 07 2007 08 2008 09 Rice 16 15.2 15.10 Wheat 1.05 1.15 0.94 Pulses 1.05 1.08 0.88 Oilseeds 2.67 2.34 2.06 (1 Tnne=1000 Kilgrams) (vi) Yield Of Majr Crps (Kg / Hectare) 2007 08 2008 09 2009 10 2010 11 (Target) 2011 12 (Target) Fd Grains 2521 2581 2770 2881 2996 Rice 2573 2533 2872 2986 3106 Cereals 2578 2545 2843 2957 3075 Wheat 2602 2490 2476 2575 2678 Pulses 786 705 872 915 961 Oilseeds 998 1005 28 1069 1112 Ptat 24704 10677 22500 23000 23200 (1 Hectare=10000 Sq.m) Pagina 9 di 15
(vii) Prductin & Requirement f Majr Fd Grains (2008 09) Fd Grains Prductin (Millin Tnnes) Requirement (Millin Tnnes) Rice 15.03 13.70 Cereals 16.16 15.79 Pulses 0.13 1.21 Oilseeds 0.58 0.07 Ptat 4.12 4.34 (1 Tnne=1000 Kilgrams ) (viii) Cmpsitin f Grss State Dmestic Prduct (GSDP) ($ Bn) 2005 06 2006 07 2007 08 GSDP 51 60 67 Agriculture 11.22 12.60 16 Percentage f GSDP 22 21 24 Surce: Central Statistical Organizatin (ix) Prductin f Fruits (Tnnes) 2006 07 2007 08 2008 09 2640000 2766000 2854000 (1 Tnne=1000 Kilgrams ) Pagina 10 di 15
(x) Prductivity f Fruits (Tnnes per Hectare) 2006 07 2007 08 2008 09 14.11 14.25 14.05 (1 Tnne=1000 Kilgrams ) (1 Hectare=10000 Sq.m) (xi) Prductin f Vegetables (Tnnes) 2006 07 2007 08 2008 09 12087960 12555950 12803450 (1 Tnne=1000 Kilgrams ) (xii) Prductivity f Vegetables (Tnnes per Hectare) 2006 07 2007 08 2008 09 13.38 13.76 13.88 (1 Tnne=1000 Kilgrams) (1 Hectare=10000 Sq.m) (xiii) Use f Bifertilizer (Millin Tnnes) Year Availability Requirement 2007 08 690 790 2008 09 800 910 2009 10 950 1050 2010 11 1050 1170 (Prjected) (1 Tnne=1000 Kilgrams ) (1 Hectare=10000 Sq.m) Pagina 11 di 15
(xiv) Cnsumptin f Fertilizer (Tnnes) Year Cnsumptin 2006 07 1340000 2007 08 1350000 2008 09 1500000 (1 Tnne=1000 Kilgrams ) (xv) Credit t the Agricultural sectr ($ Mn) 2005 06 2006 07 2007 08 2008 09 Cmmercial Banks 320 492 653 563 Rural Banks 40 71 97 109 Cperatives 140 233 285 194 Ttal 500 796 1035 866 Data fr 2008-09 is till December 2009 Pagina 12 di 15
AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION The State Gvernment has established Implement Hubs in rural areas which help farmers t take agricultural implements n hire fr a fee Varius schemes started by the State & the Central Gvernment help in the financial assistance fr ppularizatin f farm equipments The State Gvernment thrugh its agencies and Agricultural Universities prmte agricultural machinery thrugh the demnstratin f newly develped equipments The aim f the Gvernment is dubling f Farm Pwer t 2.5 Kw / hur frm 1.25 Kw / hur by 2011 Use f Farm Implements (Units) Implements 2006 07 2007 08 2008 09 2009 10 2010 11 (Estimated) Manually Operated / Bullck Drawn 14941 29852 35071 49310 61520 Pwer Drawn 2409 5716 27332 38330 54325 Tractr & Pwer Tiller 3540 3860 5625 6175 7150 Ttal 20890 39428 68028 93815 122995 Pagina 13 di 15
ITALIAN MACHINERY IN INDIA THE WAY FORWARD The percentage f imprt f Agricultural Machinery frm Italy is lw but grwing at a very impressive rate; it has increased frm 5% f the ttal imprt f agricultural machinery in 2007 t 9% in 2009 Indian agricultural machinery manufacturers are extremely interested in wrking with Italian cmpanies due t the high quality f Italian prducts and technlgy They are in favur f the fllwing arrangements: Jint Venture: Imprt f equipment frm Italy attracts high imprt duty s the Indian and the Italian cmpany culd frm a Jint Venture t manufacture machinery in India as India as ffers several advantages like lw cst f prductin. This culd als pen up pprtunities f reexprting t Eurpe Technlgy Transfer: The Italian cmpany culd supply technlgy t Indian cmpanies fr a ryalty payment Imprting critical parts: The Indian cmpany culd imprt highly specialized parts frm Italy in Semi Kncked Dwn / Cmpletely Kncked Dwn cnditin and assemble them in India Imprtant Pints fr Italian Cmpanies Farmers in West Bengal have small land hldings; 76% f farmers have land hlding 0-1 Hectare and 0.82 Hectare is the average land hlding The fllwing implements wuld be very successful in West Bengal: Pwer Tiller: The annual sales is apprximately 10000 units with price f $ 2800-$3200; the demand fr 18-20 HP is in high demand and Chinese manufacturers cntribute t 50% f the sales Rtavetr: These are attached with tractrs f 40-50 HP; the price is apprximately $1700-$ 2500 Mini Harvester: High demand is due t purchases frm the Gvernment under varius subsidy schemes Rice Transplanter: Thugh the sale vlume is very lw, the machine is gradually becming very ppular; annual sales f 100 machines is being planned by the Gvernment; the apprximate price is $ 3500-$ 5000 Mini Harvester: This wuld be the smaller variety f the Cmbine Harvester as the size f the farms in West Bengal is less than 1 Hectare Pagina 14 di 15
The State Gvernment, thrugh varius subsidy schemes, has drawn up an ambitius plan t distribute farm machinery; the table dentes the target drawn up by the Gvernment Machinery Units Existing Target Rice Thresher 550000 800000 Drum Seeder 8000 12000 Rice Transplanter 500 1000 Rtavetr 400 1000 Nte:(Target pertains t the next 2 years) (Units distributed as per the subsidy scheme f the Gvernment and des nt include nn subsidy purchases which are very small) ) Cmpanies in West Bengal are very keen n Jint Manufacturing r Jint Develpment f agricultural machinery and distributin f Italian farm machinery A tie up is very imprtant as lcal knwledge is very imprtant and it is extremely critical t knw the psyche f the lcal farmers. This wuld help in establishing distributrs in the interirs There culd be an pprtunity f crss selling prducts if a cmpany wns mre than ne prduct in case f a strng brand name Lng term relatinship with Indian cmpanies shuld be lked at as returns wuld be generated nly after trust has been established between the farmers, distributrs and the cmpany T many distributrs shuld nt be appinted; this culd cut int the sales f ther distributrs due t price cuts and cause prblems fr them After sales service is very imprtant t farmers; lcal manufacturers are better psitined t reach ut t the farmers due t their high penetratin level At the lwer end, there is stiff cmpetitin frm China and Taiwan as a number f Indian cmpanies have a tie up with them fr imprting their machinery Italian cmpanies have t first demnstrate machinery t the farmers; this culd be dne thrugh Agricultural Universities in West Bengal which culd mbilize farmers and explain the wrking f the machines; this partnership wuld als help develp new prducts / features in the future Sme Indian cmpanies feel that Italian cmpanies are slw in cmmunicating t partners as a result f which the entire prject gets delayed Pagina 15 di 15