Task Force Report - Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Himalayan ...

Table 3.1. Contribution of Agriculture and Allied Sectors to the Gross Domestic Product
(2005-06) (Lakh Rs, at 1999-2000 Prices)
Region Agriculture Fruits & Vegetables Kitchen Garden Straw & Total
Stalks
IHR 692073 740906 4250 70328 1507557
India 29566154 10426735 224437 2349741 42567067
Source: Statistical Abstracts, India 2007.
Table 3.2. Contribution of Some of the IHR States to National Agricultural Production
(2005-2006)
Crop State All India Ranking % of Total Average Yield (kg/ha)
Area Production State National
Food Grains Uttarakhand 17 0.85 0.76 1548 1715
Coarse Cereals Himachal Pradesh 11 1.14 1.67 1715 1172
Jammu & Kashmir 12 1.20 1.38 1344
Uttarakhand 14 0.93 0.94 1188
Wheat Himachal Pradesh 10 1.36 0.98 1894 2619
Uttarakhand 11 1.51 0.94 1633
Jammu & Kashmir 12 0.94 0.63 1790
Potato Himachal Pradesh 11 1.00 0.40 6850 17058
Tripura 12 0.38 0.39 17642
Maize Himachal Pradesh 9 3.95 3.67 1839 1938
Jammu & Kashmir 10 4.22 3.06 1413
Sugarcane Uttarakhand 8 2.38 2.18 60733 66928
Source: Statistical Abstracts, India 2007.
Dependence of a large population on agriculture,
population growth and limitations on land
expansion and irrigation have resulted in small
landholdings and low productivity, albeit with
large inter and intra product diversity. Most of
the cultivators (69.3% of the total operational
landholdings) belong to the marginal category (less
than one hectare landholding) confined to less than
one-fourth area (23.4%) of the total agricultural
landholdings in the IHR (Fig. 3.2).
The Task Force members have noted that there has
been an almost total absence of inputs emanating
from research on small area and eco-friendly, high
yielding, varieties of rain-fed mountain crops.
As a consequence, the Himalayan states do not
figure in the all India state-wise list of major crop
producers.
Undulating topography, along with the
aforementioned factors, pose considerable
challenges towards development of agriculture in
the IHR as reflected by the following in comparison
to the rest of the country: low share of tractors
(1.4%), diesel engines (0.1%), and electric pumps
(0.4%), relatively high share of ploughs (5.4%)
over machines, and use of electricity (less than 6%)
while agriculture consumes nearly 23% of the total
electricity consumption in the rest of the country
(Central Electricity Authority, 2004-2005).
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Report of the Task Force