chapter v cropping pattern, crop diversification and value addition

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• Encouraging organizations of the farmers: With the preponderant share ofthe small farmers in the agrarian structure, it is difficult to ensure that the benefitsfor which they are entitled accrue to them without organizations of their own.Bihar's record in this respect is very poor. Cooperative organizations wereencouraged in the rural sector to enhance the bargaining capacity of the smallfarmers. Unfortunately, a large number of cooperatives have become defunct.Efforts should thus be made to revitalize them. Other forms of farmer organizationsfrom cooperative companies to Self-help Groups (SHGs) should also receiveequal encouragement. A cue should be taken from Maharashtra where farmers’organizations like Mahagrapes, Mahabanana and Mahamango have become bigexport houses in themselves. Apart from strengthening the bargaining power of theproducers, these organizations will also help in reducing the transaction cost of theinstitutions dealing with credit, marketing and input supplies.• Organizational linkages with processing industries: Universal experiencesuggests that there are no economies of scale in agricultural production. But thereare distinct advantages of the larger scale in marketing and processing. Thereare examples in the milk and sugar sectors wherein the integration of the smallproducers with larger marketing and processing entities has proved to bebeneficial for all concerned. Cooperatives in these sectors are largely farmer-ownedenterprises. In several parts of the country, such integration with private firms hasalso proved to be fairly advantageous for the producers. Such arrangements havebeen successful to the extent that the following conditions are fulfilled: a) there isno asymmetry in information, b) there are effective arrangements to protect theweaker parties, that is, the producers, and c) there is an effective disputeresolution arrangement in place. Keeping these lessons in the forefront, theintegration of producers with the marketers and processors should beencouraged.• Training of farmers in modern methods of crop production: Inadequateattention has been placed on training the farmers in the scientific methods ofcultivation under the mistaken assumption that 'the farmers of forty centuries',which our cultivators are, do not need any training. Due to this notion, agriculturalproducers have been denied the benefits of agricultural sciences in their farmingoperations. Proper instructions need to be given to the producers in farmers' fieldschools to enable them to understand modern methods of production and topractise them in the field conditions. Lessons learnt in our country and in other10
similarly situated countries in the content as well as in pedagogy should bedisseminated after proper adaptation.• Emphasis on dynamic crops: As per past records, certain crops emerge as thedynamic crops of Bihar: maize among cereals, litchi among fruits, and potato amongvegetables. These crops also have better prospects for value addition, and these areneutral to scale. Therefore, theywherever the conditions are favourable.can be cultivated even by the small farmers• Location-specific crop planning: The specific features of different agro-climaticzones in the state have been recorded earlier. The potentiality of different zonesshould be carefully examined and farmers should be advised accordingly. Anillustrative example of the zone-wise crop planning is provided in Appendix Table5.9. More details need to be acquired and used for this purpose.Appendix Table 5.1: Cropping Pattern in Bihar Agriculture (%)Crop TE 1991 TE 2001 TE 2007Rice 45.08 46.80 46.65Wheat 24.02 26.98 30.03Maize 7.02 8.00 8.78Other Cereals 1.86 0.75 0.68Total Cereals 77.98 82.53 83.28Gram 1.70 1.08 0.86Arhar0.56 0.55 0.51Other Pulses 11.33 7.61 6.96Total Pulses 13.58 9.24 8.34Groundnut 0.00 0.02 0.02Sesamum 0.05 0.11 0.05Rapeseed and Mustard 1.11 1.28 1.19Linseed 0.82 0.54 0.40Niger seed 0.38 - -Total Oilseed 2.36 1.93 1.94Jute 1.67 1.80 1.77Mesta 0.30 0.32 0.17Sanhemp 0.03 0.03 0.04Total Fibers 2.00 2.14 1.99Chilies 0.05 0.06 0.04Ginger 0.01 0.01 0.01Turmeric 0.04 0.04 0.04Coriander 0.04 0.03 0.03Garlic 0.03 0.04 0.03Potatoes 1.57 1.84 2.04Onions 0.15 0.19 0.23Sweet Potato 0.20 0.10 0.0711
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