The Hindu : National : Agriculture growth rate drops to 1.6 %

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Agriculture growth rate drops to 1.6 %

K. Balchand

NEW DELHI: The Economic Survey has painted the Agriculture sector in a rather bleak picture with a sudden drop in the growth rate during 2008-09 to just about 1.6 percent.

The Agriculture sector had recorded an average growth of about 4.9 per cent over three years, from 2005-06 to 2007-08, lending credible support to the overall growth in the GDP. However, the report said the performance needed to be viewed in the light of the high base of the previous years and the fact that the sector was subject to sharp fluctuations and remained vulnerable to the vagaries of nature.

The sector, which accounted for 21.7 percent of the GDP in 2003-04, accounted for only 17.8 percent of the GDP in 2007-08.

Foodgrain production during 2005-06 to 2007-08 had shown an annual increase of 10 million tonnes, but in 2008-09 it improved only marginally by 1.97 million tonnes to stand at 222.85 million tonnes – short of its target of 233 million tonnes.

While rice and wheat production fell marginally short of target , the production of pulses was lower by 8.5 per cent, oilseeds by 11.4 percent, sugarcane by 14.9 percent and cotton by 10.5 percent.

The survey maintained that since expansion of agricultural land was limited, the way out was multiple cropping, while a long-term output growth was possible only by an improved yield.

It, however, pointed out that the yield of most crops had not improved significantly and in some cases, had fluctuated downwards.

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