Agriculture in Assam Review & future prospects Department of Agriculture Government of Assam Date : 6 th April, 2015

 The agriculture sector has done well during the 11 th FYP and first 2 years of 12 th FYP.  Annual Agriculture Growth in terms of GDP increased to 4.8% during 11 th Plan Period against 2.1% during 10th Plan period.  The State is targeting the growth of 6% in 12 th FYP.  Emphasis of Govt. of Assam is to bring a second Green Revolution in the State.  Primary aim to increase production & productivity of potential crops like Rice, Pulses, Oilseeds, Potato & Onion.

 Assam is a Rice surplus State with production of 52.0 lakh MT. The State is now 8 th largest Paddy producer in the country.  Productivity of Rice (2101 Kg.) inching towards national average but much below highest in the country.  Production (1.04 lakh MT) & productivity (695 Kg.) of Pulses increased by 28 thousand MT & 116 Kg. respectively during last 2 years. But, could meet only 38% of its requirement.  Production (1.86 lakh MT) & productivity (611 Kg.) of Oilseeds increased by 19% and 8% respectively during last 2 years, but still deficit of 49%.  Assam produces surplus quantity of Fruits, Spices & Vegetables since last several years.  State has enormous potentialities of being self sufficient in Potato by producing in about 2.0 lakh ha of land with enhanced productivity. Production of Potato (7.0 lakh MT) increased by 17 thousand MT during last 2 years, but needs much improvement to meet its requirement.  Onion has been grown in the state since many years, but fails to achieve desired level. Additional 6 thousand MT of Onion (0.29 lakh MT) produced during last 2 years, an increase of 26%. Present Status

 Attain 6% Agriculture Growth from 4.5%.  Increase Rice production to lakh MT from lakh MT.  Self sufficiency in Pulses – at present 38% of requirement.  Self sufficiency in Oilseeds – at present 51% of requirement.  Self sufficiency in Potato – at present 40% of requirement.  Reducing the gap between production & requirement of Onion to 50% - 91% gap at present.  Bringing 40% of net cropped area under Assured Irrigation through pump sets – at present 26%.  To increase Farm Power to attain national level – at present 1.24 HP per ha.  Providing post harvest facilities including market infrastructure. Our goal (to attain by the end of 12 th FYP)

 Apart from implementation of centrally sponsored schemes, the State Govt. is also taken up schemes to increase production & productivity of crops, especially Rabi crops.  A new State sponsored scheme called “Momai Tamuli Borboruah Krishak Bandhu Achanee” has been launched to cover maximum area under Rabi crops with special focus on mono cropped areas.  Implementation of CM’s special programme for improving production & productivity of Potato & Onions.  Provided free input (seed, fertiliser) to encourage double cropping.  Extensive cultivation of Rabi pulses & oilseeds in riverine areas.  Assured irrigation facility provided in 7.20 lakh hectare through installation of pump sets. Piezometers have been installed to monitor the ground water level on real time basis in all the plain districts.  Farm machineries (Tractors, Power Tillers, Rotary Tiller etc.) made available to facilitate tillage operation benefiting 2.40 lakh farm families. State’s initiatives

1. Seed :  Availability of quality Oil seeds released in the recent years by the Central Seed Release organisation is problem in the state. The fund provided to the State under NMOOP is not adequate for a deficit State like Assam. Therefore, adequate fund is required from the central govt. for production of oil seeds.  Storage of Pulse seeds is not feasible in the state because of its high humidity condition. The State has to depend on outside seeds to meet its requirement. Therefore, funding under NFSM should be enhanced for procurement of Pulse seeds.  The State’s agricultural land is vulnerable to recurring flood and vast part of Rice cultivation is affected every year. During such time, availability of suitable seeds becomes a major problem to revitalize the agricultural economy. Issues flagged for GOI’s intervention

 Lack of adequate quantity of quality seeds & storage facilities have restricted to lesser production of Potato by farmers. Therefore, a centre of CPRI should be established in the State. Also financial assistance for developing modern storage facilities is necessary from the central government.  Lack of quality seeds and storage facilities are hampering in the expansion of area under Onion. Local varieties are very much susceptible to many diseases. To overcome this problem, the state govt. is contemplating to import quality onion seeds from Maharastra and it involves a huge amount of fund due to high cost of seeds. Also, the state is planning to establish low cost onion storages structures in the state. Therefore, adequate financial assistance from GOI is needed to overcome these problems. 2. Soil Testing & Soil Health Card :  Emphasis has been given in soil testing and soil health cards. There is no laboratory at district level. The Govt. is planning to establish laboratories at every district under RKVY. With the revision of funding pattern under RKVY at 50:50, the State Govt. with its limited resourced find it difficult to proceed with the plan. Issues flagged for GOI’s intervention

3. Irrigation :  The Govt. is planning to cover vast low and medium productive land under irrigated ecology. It is also intended to popularize solar pumps to reduce the cost of cultivation. The major & medium irrigation projects are not successful in the State. Increased utilization of under exploited groundwater resources to increase productivity requires increased financial outlays. As the State Government has limited resources to invest, greater assistance from Govt. of India would be of great help. Also, subsidy on solar pumps may be increased to at least 75% to attract the farmers. 4. Protected Cultivation :  Extreme climate has prevented farmers from round the year cultivation of horticultural crops, especially vegetables and flowers. Protected cultivation will help farmers to cultivate off season crops. Special central assistance is needed for extensive protected cultivation to boost farmers’ income. Issues flagged for GOI’s intervention

5. Marketing :  Poor market infrastructure in the State has barred farmers from getting remunerative prices from their produce. Govt. of India needs to extend adequate fund to develop markets, godowns, processing units in rural areas.  The tract record of procurement in the State is not encouraging. Only Paddy is procured by FCI & State Agricultural Marketing Board, that too a small quantity. Though the State as a whole is deficit in Pulses & Oilseeds, there are some surplus districts also. Due to absence of procurement agency the farmers have to sell their produce at a price much lower than MSP. Involvement of procurement agency like NAFED will help farmers to get their remunerative prices. 6. Need for enhanced central assistance :  More & more investment is needed for overall improvement of agriculture sector and agriculture growth in North Eastern Region. But, GOI is gradually reducing it for which the State Govt. find it difficult to achieve its goal. Issues flagged for GOI’s intervention