Performance of Agriculture and Allied

Poverty Eradication in North East India

Chapter-5 Performance of Agriculture and Allied

Agro-climatic base/setup

NER occupies 7.98 percent of India’s total geographical areas. Among the political units, Arunachal Pradesh is the largest occupying 31.94 percent of NER total followed Assam (29.92%), Meghalaya (8.55%), Manipur (8.52%), Mizoram (8.04%), Nagaland (6.32%), Tripura (4%) and Sikkim (2.71%) respectively (Table-5.1). All the units are located in the threshold of sub-tropic and a mosaic of natural diversity not found in common in the other parts of the country. The terrain diversity ranging from 50-5000 above msl is an expression of extreme order with the hills comprising more than two-third and the plains the balance. The climate varies from hot humid to temperate. The vegetative wealth ranges from the Dry Alpine Scrub Zone and Sub-Tropical Pine Zone in Arunachal Pradesh to Tropical Moist Deciduous forest and Tropical Wet Evergreen forest in Assam and Tripura. Agro-climatically, there are as many as six zones hosting the possibilities for development of all varieties of diversified agriculture.

Table-5.1: Percentage of geographical area to NER total Sl. A. Assam Mani Megha Mizo Naga Sikkim Trip NE No. Pradesh pur laya ram land ura Total Geographical 1 8374.00 7844.00 2233.00 2243.00 2108.00 1658.00 710.00 1049.00 26219.00 Area ('000 Ha.) 2 PC to NE Total 31.94 29.92 8.52 8.55 8.04 6.32 2.71 4.00 7.98* *Percentage to India total.

5.1. Agriculture

Land use

In NE region, 56.93 percent of the total geographical area is reported under forest coverage, and 18.29 percent under Net sown area. Area not available for cultivation, other uncultivable land and fallow land accounted for 14.86 percent, 6.01 percent and 3.91 percent respectively. It is evident from the table that forest is the most dominant category of land use in all the states occupying about 40 to 94 percent of the geographical area except in Assam (24.62%). Despite the lowest position of Assam in forest cover within the region, the coverage still stands marginally better than the all India level (22.83%). The second dominant category which is the Poverty Eradication in North East India

area not available for cultivation occupies large area in Sikkim (37.12%) followed by Assam (32.27%), Tripura (12.72%) and Meghalaya (10.24%). In the remaining four states, it occupies between less than one percent to 6.46 percent (Table-5.2). Uncultivable land other than fallow which occupies 6.01 percent in the region, the position of the same is dominant in Meghalaya (27.33%), followed by Nagaland (11.26%) and Assam (5.67%). In the remaining five states, the coverage ranges between 0.41 to 2.65 percent.

Shifting cultivation in the hills being the dominant mode of agricultural production, the area left fallow to recoup soil fertility is a common practice. As such, the category of fallow land occupies 3.91 percent in the region. In four states, the area under fallow ranges between 5 to about 10 percent; while in the remaining three states it ranges between 0.01 to about 2 percent (Table-5.2). With this, the net area sown for the region stands at 18.29 percent which across the states varies sharply ranging from 2.99, the lowest in Arunachal Pradesh to 35.34 percent, the highest in Assam.

Table-5.2: Land Use in percentage in NE Region (2004-05) Sl. Percentage to A. Assam Mani Megha Mizo Naga Sikkim Trip NE India No. Geographical Area Pradesh pur laya ram land ura Total Total 1 Reporting Area 65.65 100.08 88.05 99.29 98.45 95.53 94.86 100.02 87.43 92.85 2 Total Cropped Area 3.14 48.11 10.66 11.81 4.55 22.93 17.27 32.21 20.89 58.08 3 Area Sown more than once 1.19 12.74 0.00 2.05 0.00 4.30 1.54 5.52 4.90 15.09 4 Total Cultivable land 3.75 41.10 10.99 47.14 16.23 38.89 21.71 29.50 24.00 55.62 5 Total Cultivated land 2.32 36.63 10.69 12.59 6.92 23.60 16.44 26.79 17.25 47.32 6 Total Uncultivable land 61.90 58.98 77.07 52.15 82.21 56.64 73.15 70.51 63.43 37.24 7 Total Uncultivated land 63.33 63.45 77.37 86.70 91.53 71.93 78.42 73.22 70.18 45.54 8 Forest area 93.75 24.62 86.10 42.29 76.79 54.48 39.35 57.78 56.93 22.83 9 Not available for culti. 0.46 32.27 1.37 10.24 6.46 4.81 37.12 12.72 14.86 13.86 10 Other unculti. Land 1.39 5.67 0.41 27.33 0.99 11.26 1.81 2.65 6.01 8.85 11 Fallow land 1.41 2.09 0.01 10.32 11.14 9.94 5.14 0.17 3.91 8.17 12 Net Area Sown (NAS) 2.99 35.34 12.13 9.83 4.62 19.51 16.58 26.69 18.29 46.30 Source: www.dacnet.nic.in

As per the wastelands Atlas of India, 2005, there are 5848 sq.km area under current jhum. The area under abandoned jhum, under-utilized / degraded notified forest and under utilized degraded land and under-utilized / degraded notified forest area under agri accounts for 11587, 4330 and 3548 sq.km respectively in NER. All the categories put together, the area covered under shifting cultivation accounts for 25313 sq.km in the region. Across the states, the share of shifting cultivation area is highest in Assam (9957.04 sq.km.) followed by Manipur (4817 sq.km), Mizoram (4470 sq.km.), Nagaland (1919 sq.km), Arunachal Pradesh (1625 sq.km), Tripura (1035 sq.km), Sikkim (746 sq.km.) and Meghalaya (744 sq.km.).

Table-5.3: Wastelands Atlas, India, 2005 (Area in Sq. Km.) Poverty Eradication in North East India

Sl. A. Assam Mani- Megha Mizo Naga Sikkim Tripura NE India No. Categories Pradesh pur laya ram land Total Total Shifting cultivation area 496.22 3495. 3697. 116.62 2870. 801.3 0.00 110.3 11587. 12218.9 1 (Abandoned Jhum) 08 14 46 0 7 19 9 Shifting cultivation area 1116.9 435.8 1119. 627.21 1146. 1116. 0.00 284.8 5847.9 6546.87 2 (Current Jhum) 1 9 54 95 60 9 9 Under utilisation/ degraded 0.18 2489. 0.00 0.00 452.4 1.38 746.1 640.0 4329.9 108417. 3 notified forest land 74 7 4 5 6 76 Under utilisation/ degraded 11.58 3536. 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3547.9 18134.0 4 notified forest land (Agri.) 33 1 5 Total 1624. 9957. 4816. 743.8 4469. 1919. 746.1 1035. 25313 145317 89 04 68 3 88 28 4 31 .05 .67 Source: Wastelands Atlas, India, 2005

Agricultural Land Use

The total cultivated land accounts 4523.47 thousand hectares to the total geographical area of NER. The area in percentage accounts 17.25 percent. As against, total cultivable land accounts 6291.65 thousand hectares comprising 24 percent of the geographical area. This signifies that a large percentage of cultivable land is not put to us annually under agriculture in the region. The margin of difference between the cultivable and cultivated land is of high order in Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura as compared to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur (Table-5.4).

Table-5.4: State wise Agricultural Land Use Growth Index in NER and status of Cropping Intensity Sl. A. Assam Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Sikkim Tripura NE India Particulars No. Pradesh Total Total 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Net Area Sown 2000-01 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 2001-02 100 102.16 110.71 100.00 92.55 111.00 126.32 100.00 103.10 100.18 2002-03 100 102.16 110.71 100.00 95.74 108.00 122.11 100.00 102.85 93.98 2003-04 100.12 101.48 155.30 98.54 103.79 101.71 115.79 100.00 103.43 99.80 2004-05 100.12 101.48 170.33 95.17 101.93 103.01 117.56 100.00 103.85 100.11 Gross Cropped Area 2000-01 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 2001-02 103.02 99.53 97.90 102.52 101.88 97.92 95.97 102.93 99.83 92.89 2002-03 106.16 99.46 100.58 98.08 107.79 97.92 97.58 97.65 99.61 100.21 2003-04 106.97 99.35 100.58 98.08 108.01 97.97 97.58 97.38 99.56 100.07 2004-05 106.16 94.73 110.10 95.37 105.86 100.70 98.87 99.08 96.77 100.35 Area Sown more than once 2000-01 100 100 0 100 0 100 100 100 100 100 2001-02 107.54 91.73 100 23.71 0 128.28 115.38 93.97 95.55 109.62 2002-03 116.50 90.11 104.92 38.80 0 128.28 105.77 106.93 95.74 98.91 2003-04 128.88 91.13 0 98.69 0 184.69 500.67 84.36 97.94 110.94 2004-05 127.09 76.94 0 99.07 0 203.08 105.00 93.76 83.93 111.33 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Poverty Eradication in North East India

Cropping intensity 2000-01 151.06 145.71 154.40 120.75 96.29 125.87 130.53 121.79 140.16 134.77 2001-02 155.62 141.96 136.54 123.80 105.99 111.03 99.17 125.36 135.72 124.96 2002-03 160.37 141.85 140.27 118.44 108.40 114.11 104.31 118.93 135.74 143.71 2003-04 161.40 142.65 100.00 120.20 100.21 121.23 110.00 118.60 134.92 135.13 2004-05 160.18 136.01 99.81 121.00 100.00 123.05 109.78 120.67 130.61 135.09 Source: www.dacnet.nic.in

Growth index of net area sown analysed between 2000-01 and 2004-05 (table-5.3) shows a marginal increase of area over the reference years for the region as a whole. Across the states, the rising phenomenon is prominent only in three states namely; Manipur, Sikkim and Nagaland. The status has remained almost unchanged in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram and Tripura. During the period, there was some decline only in Meghalaya.

The growth index on gross cropped area indicates however a trend opposite to the net sown area. The decline is registered to the extent of 3.3 percent as compared to the base year. Across the eight states, the declines phenomenon is registered in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim. In the remaining four states, the status remained almost stagnant to marginal rise (Table-5.4).

It is highly important to record that there has been considerable decline exhibited in the area sown more than once in the region as a whole during the five reference years. The status stands positive to some extent only in three states namely; Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Sikkim. The declining trend in the context of agro-based rural economy is an indication of farmers loosing interest towards agricultural pursuits.

Cropping intensity register 131 percent in NER as against 135 percent at all India level in the year 2004-05. In the base year, the intensity in NER with 140 percent was higher than the all India level (135%). Compared to regional and all India level, the cropping intensity is higher only in the case of Arunahcal Pradesh and Assam with 160 and 136 percent respectively (Table-5.4). The disturbing inferences indicated in the area sown more than once is further supported by the pattern of cropping intensity.

Irrigation

According to the Central Water Commission, the total irrigation potential of the NE region is estimated at 1083.40 cu. km. (1064.79-cu.km. surface water and 18.61 cu. km. ground water). Poverty Eradication in North East India

In other words, the total irrigation potential of the NE states is estimated at 36.65 lakh hectares. Among all the NE States, Assam has the highest irrigation potential of 2670 cu. km. However, both in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, the ratio of gross irrigated area to gross cropped area has declined over the years.

The ratio has remained constant for Meghalaya, while it has gone up in Nagaland and Mizoram, and improved marginally in Tripura and Manipur. Decline in the gross irrigated area to the gross cropped area in the NE region as a whole indicates that many secondary crops are no longer irrigated due to absence of adequate facilities. At the same time, if the region's irrigation potential is suitably harnessed, adequate irrigation facilities can be provided for the entire cropped area of the region.

In Arunachal Pradesh the ratio of net irrigated area to net sown area has not changed much over the last twenty years. In 1991-92, Manipur had an impressive 46.40 % of its net sown area under irrigation, which was higher than the national average of 33.30 %. In Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland too there has been growth in irrigation over the years.

Significantly, in the NE region there is considerable difference between the ratio of gross irrigated area to the gross cropped area, and net irrigated area to the net sown area. This is because most of the agricultural land in the region receives irrigation water only once a year.

Draft Report of the Task force on Development Initiatives for the NER, Sept. 2005, indicates that the NER has considerable unexploited irrigation potential. The estimate shows that in the region ultimate irrigation potential can be created in 16.46 percent of the total geographical area. The potential primarily lies in Brahmaputra, Barak and Imphal valleys and to some extent in the plains of Tripura. As against the ultimate irrigation potential area, the potential created accounts about one fifth (20.25%).

Till recently, according to Task Force Report, 2005, about 19% of the total potential of 5.7 lakh ha could be exploited in Assam, against the national achievement of 40% so far, Manipur could attain the level of about 10% of the total potential to cover 65000 ha. The potential in Tripura for irrigation has been assessed at 2.81 lakh ha. The topographical conditions in Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Sikkim are not favourable for groundwater irrigation schemes and therefore the development of surface irrigation has better prospects. Poverty Eradication in North East India

As per Basic Statistics of NER, 2006 (Table-5.5), NER has 1.44 mha utilizable irrigation potential using ground water sources. The created potential against this is 0.46 mha which accounts for about 32 percent. However it is highly disturbing to record that out of the total potential created , the Potential utilized constitutes about two third (64.86 %) .

Table-5.5: Irrigated Potential Created & Utilised form ground water source, 2002 Sl. Particulars A. Assam Mani Megha Mizo Naga Sikkim Tripura NE India No. Pradesh pur laya ram land Total Total 1 Utilizable Irrigation Potential (m.ha.) 0.018 0.9 0.369 0.06351 0.005 0.005 NA 0.08056 1.44107 64.05018 2 Potential Created (m.ha.) 0.001 0.442 0.001 0.002 0.001 0.001 NA 0.013 0.461 54.806 3 Potential Utilized (m.ha.) 0.001 0.284 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 NA 0.01 0.299 43.286 Source: Basic Statistics of NER, 2006

Cropping pattern

As regard to the use of high yielding varieties of crops in NER, the areas stand at 1801 thousand ha under paddy, 116.6 thousand ha under wheat and 39 thousand ha under maize as reported during 1996-97. The status about the recent past is not available. The area put under the three crops together accounts for 1956.6 thousand ha and against the grossed cropped and net sown area accounts for 35.73and 46.67 percent respectively. Agriculture using advanced technical know how still is at lower level is evident from the area put under high yielding varieties of crops. Assam which coverts the largest area under HYV in the context of other NER states; the position is no better when compared with the grossed (37.68%) and net cropped area (51.25%) of the state. The only exception that is seen among the states lies with Tripura in which the area put under HYV accounts for 66.23 percent of the gross cropped area and 79.6 percent of the net sown area (Table-5.6).

Table-5.6: Area under high yielding varieties in NER (Thousand Ha) Sl. Particulars A. Megh Mizo Naga NE All No. Pradesh Assam Manipur alaya ram land Sikkim Tripura Total India 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Paddy 1992-93 22 1200 70 40 4 33 NA 178 1547 27485 1993-94 28 1170 72 42 5 2 NA 206 1525 28707 1994-95(Revised) 26 1200 72 42 5 2 NA 208 1555 30836 1995-96(P) 29 1250 70 40 5 2 NA 198 1594 31375 1996-97(P) 35 1422 72 42 5 2 NA 223 1801 33399 Wheat 1992-93 4 74 5 4 0.03 0.4 NA 4 91.43 21697 1993-94 4 79 5 4 NA 0.4 NA 4 96.4 22121 1994-95(Revised) 4 90 1 4 NA 0.2 NA 3 102.2 23140 1995-96(P) 4 100 1 4 NA 0.3 NA 3 112.3 23130 1996-97(P) 5 103 0.3 6 NA 0.3 NA 2 116.6 23726 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Poverty Eradication in North East India

Maize 1992-93 17 10 7 12 5 11 NA 3 65 2576 1993-94 18 10 6 14 6 3 NA 2 59 3016 1994-95(Revised) NA 10 7 14 6 1 NA 2 40 3392 1995-96(P) NA 12 6 14 4 3 NA 2 41 3577 1996-97(P) NA 12 7 15 3 NA 2 39 3764

Foodgrain production

As per Draft Report of the Task force on Development Initiatives for the NER, Sept. 2005 (Table-5.7), total foodgrain production of the region registered 5860.4 thousand tonnes during 2001-02. Rice contributes major share of foodgrain production (93.24%) followed by maize (4.04%), wheat (1.83%), millet (0.66%), barley (0.11%), ragi (0.06%), jowar and bajra (0.03%) respectively. The share of foodgrain production in NER to the all India production (2002-03) is only 4 percent (based on rice, maize and wheat production). Rice production in the region accounted for 7.36 percent of all India. Maize and wheat registered 2.52 and 0.20 percent to the total production of India (Table-5.8).

Table-5.7: Foodgrain production in NER as on 2001-02 (in ‘000 tonnes) Rice Maize Wheat Millet Jowar Bajra Ragi Barley Total Foodgrain

5464.10 237.00 107.00 38.90 1.70 1.70 3.60 6.40 5860.4 Source: Draft Report of the Task force on Development Initiatives for the NER, Sept. 2005.

Table-5.8: Foodgrain production in NER as on 2002-03 (in ‘000 tonnes) Rice Maize Wheat Total Foodgrain

NER 5350.0 260.00 127.00 5927.00

All India 72653.0 10303.0 65096.0 174188.0

NER as %age of All India 7.36 2.52 0.20 4.00 Source: Draft Report of the Task force on Development Initiatives for the NER, Sept. 2005.

The above shows that the pattern of agricultural growth has remained uneven across regions and crops. The NER continues to be a net importer of food grains even for its own consumption. In spite of covering 7.98% of the country’s total geographical area, NER produces only 1.5 % of the country’s total food grain production. Poverty Eradication in North East India

Plant nutrient consumption

The consumption of NPK in agriculture is an interesting stage of development in NER. In per hectare counts of gross cropped area, it is somewhat significant in Manipur with 130.5 kg per hectare. The consumption in Manipur is much higher than the all India level (89.8 kg/ha). In Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya, the consumption per hectare accounts for 46.6, 29.4 and 17 kg; while in the remaining four states, it ranges between 2.2 kg to 3.5 kg, the lowest being in Nagaland as recorded in the fertilizer statistics, 2003-04 (Table-5.9). The rate of use reported in Assam and in Tripura is due to the use of chemical fertilizers in the tea gardens. The above infers that except Manipur, the agricultural practice in northeast is primarily away from the use of chemical plant nutrients.

Table-5.9: Consumption of plant nutrient per unit of gross cropped area (kg/Ha) Particulars A.Pradesh Assam Manipur Megha Mizo Naga Sikkim Tripura NE All laya ram land Total India 2000-2001 N 1.4 18.7 85.2 9.0 4.7 0.8 NA 15.5 135.3 56.7 P2O5 0.6 9.2 10.6 5.0 4.8 0.5 NA 4.0 34.7 21.9 K2O 0.4 7.8 6.2 0.5 2.8 0.1 NA 1.2 19 8.1 Total 2.4 35.7 102.0 14.5 12.4 1.4 NA 20.7 189.1 86.7 2001-2002 N 1.6 19.2 86.5 10.5 4.9 1.1 NA 16.5 140.3 58.7 P2O5 0.9 10.6 12.0 6.2 5.2 0.8 NA 8.6 44.3 22.8 K2O 0.4 9.1 6.4 0.5 3.6 0.2 NA 5.3 25.5 8.7 Total 2.9 38.8 105.0 17.2 13.7 2.1 NA 30.5 210.2 90.1 2002-03 N 1.6 21.2 107.0 9.7 7.3 0.9 5.6 13.6 166.9 56.0 P2O5 0.9 11.4 13.4 6.1 6.8 0.7 3.3 5.1 47.7 21.5 K2O 0.4 10.4 8.2 0.4 5.7 0.2 1 3.0 29.3 8.6 Total 2.9 4.30 128.7 16.1 19.9 1.8 9.9 21.6 205.2 86.1 2003-04 N 1.6 22.2 108.6 9.9 NA 1.1 2.3 17.5 163.2 89.2 P2O5 0.8 12.7 15.2 6.6 NA 0.8 1.2 6.3 43.6 22.1 K2O 0.4 11.7 6.7 0.6 NA 0.3 NA 5.6 25.3 8.5 Total 2.8 46.6 130.5 17.0 NA 2.2 3.5 29.4 232 89.8 Source: Fertilizer statistics, 2003-04 the fertilizer Association of India

Horticulture

The following table shows the production and area under horticultural crops of NER during 2001-02. The category under fruits occupies 238.7 thousand hectares and vegetable 358.9 thousand hectares during 2002-03. The area constitutes 6.3 and 5.89 percent respectively. The production of fruits and vegetables as against the area coverage accounts lesser comprising Poverty Eradication in North East India

4.62 and 4.11 percent respectively showing thereby a status low in terms of productivity per hectare or lakh (Table-5.10). The fruit production accounting 4.66 percent and vegetable production 2.73 percent to the total production at all India level during 2005-06 exhibit that the share of production of horticulture in the region has been declining over the years (Table- 5.11).

Table-5.10: Area and production under fruits and vegetables (2001-02) NER Fruits Vegetables Total Area Production Area Production Area Production (‘000 ha) (‘000MT) (‘000 ha) (‘000 MT) (‘000 ha) (‘000 MT) 287.1 2608.7 383.1 4094.4 670.2 6703.1 2001-02 (7.16%) (6.06%) (6.22%) (4.62%) (6.59%) (5.09%) 238.7 2088.6 358.9 3486.5 597.6 5575.1 2002-03 (6.30%) (4.62%) (5.89%) (4.11%) (6.05%) (4.29%) Note: Figures in parentheses indicate all India percentage. Source: Indian Horticulture Database, 2003, National Horticulture Board, GOI.

Table-5.11: Production and area under horticultural crops of NER during 2005-06. Fruits Vegetables Total Production (‘000MT) Production (‘000 MT) Production (‘000 MT) 2423.9 3006.8 5430.7 (4.66%) (2.73%) (3.35%) Note: Figures in parentheses indicate all India percentage. Source: National Horticulture Board, GOI.

Fishery

Fishery resources in NER constitute 280850 hectares under stagnant water and 19868 kms in running water. Among the stagnant water sources, the area under beels/lakes occupies almost half with 143491 hectares followed by paddy / fields (79360 ha), tanks / ponds (42782 ha) and other suitable water (15217 ha). Major part of beels/lakes and ponds/tanks belongs to the state of Assam. The areas under various sources indicate that there is vast scope for fish production in the region. The details about the sources by state may be seen from table-5.12.

Table-5.12: Fishery resources in Northeastern Region Rivers/ Beels/ lakes Tanks/ ponds Paddy/fields Other suitable State streams (ha) (ha) (ha) water (ha) (km) 1 2 3 4 5 6 2500+110 Arunachal Pradesh 2000 1000 2800 700 [Cold water] Assam 4820 100000 20000 20000 1517 Poverty Eradication in North East India

Manipur 2000 40000 5000 40000 10000 1 2 3 4 5 6 Megalaya 5600 394 1944 5000 3000 Mizoram 1748 32 1800 1560 - Nagaland 1600 215 2000 10000 - Sikkim 900 - - - - Tripura 1200 240 11038 - - NER 19868 143381+110 42782 79360 15217 [Source: NEC –Ten Year Perspective Plan]

As per the information of Ministry of Agriculture, fish production in NER stands at 241014 MT during the year 2004-05. The fish production record from 1997-98 till to the 2004-05 indicates a rising trend over the years. A keen look across the eight states of NER shows that the contribution of Assam to the total production is nearly two third. The remaining one third is produced primarily in Tripura and Manipur. The details may be seen from table-5.13.

Table-5.13: Fish production in NER (MT) Sl. Year A. Assam Manipur Megha Mizo Nagal Sikkim Tripura NE All No Pradesh laya ram and Total India 1997-98 2130 155124 13700 4420 2700 3700 140 27885 209799 1998-99 2301 155714 15309 4525 2775 4500 140 23764 209028 1999-2000 2395 - 15510 4676 - 5000 140 24500 52221 2000-01 250 161450 - 6179 - 5000 140 - 173019 2001-02 2600 161450 16450 4968 3147 5200 140 29450 223405 2002-03 2604 165521 16600 5372 3250 5500 140 29515 228502 2003-04 2652 180945 17600 5150 3380 4000 140 17980 231847 2004-05 2704 186314 17800 5638 3680 4900 140 19838 241014 2005-06 NA NA NA NA NA 5500 NA NA Source : Ministry of agriculture, DAHD

The production of fish in NER accounts 3.92 percent to the total volume that is produced at all India level. The share compared for three years i.e. 2002-03 to 2004-05 shows that there is marginal rise in the contribution of NER to the production at all India level (Table-5.14).

Table5.14: Fish production in NER (in MT) Particulars 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

NER 228502 231847 241014

All India 6199680 6399390 6304750

NER as %age of All India 3.69 3.62 3.82 Source: agricoop.nic.in/statistics2003/chap19.htm, Ministry of Agriculture, DAHD & Basic Statistics of NER 2006. Poverty Eradication in North East India

Despite there is a great potential in the NER in the fishery sector, due to various reasons currently there is low fish production in the NER. At present the NER imports around 90,000 tonnes of fish from outside the region.

The available records show that fish seed production in NER stands at 5349.83 million fry during 2004-05. Nearly half of the total, fish seed is produced in Assam. Production in Tripura and Manipur accounts for 402 and 118 million fry.

Table-5.15: Fish seed production (million fry) Year A. Assam Manipur Megha Mizo Nagal Sikkim Tripura NE Pradesh laya ram and Total 2003-04 25 2228.41 117 0.96 13.2 40 2.5 272.26 4698.33 2004-05 26.1 2741.47 118 0.9 16 44 2.5 401.86 5349.83 Source: Ministry of agriculture, DAHD

Livestock

The stock domesticated in NER include cattle, goat, pig, buffalo, sheep, horses / ponies, yak and poultry / birds accounting 11488, 4366, 3816, 840, 227, 28 and 16 thousand respectively in the year 2002-03 (Table-5.16). The species are mostly indigenous and as a result the productivity of milk and meat per unit is substantially low. In the plains of Brahmaputra, Barak, Imphal valleys and in the plains of Tripura, cattle is primarily raised for plough cultivation; milk production being the secondary objective. In the hills, livestock are reared primarily for meat production and they constitute mainly two species namely; pig and poultry. To the agricultural economy of the region, livestock comprising too many varieties thus constitute an integral component not only for conduct of agricultural pursuit but also for production of animal proteins supplementing the protein requirement of the daily diet.

Table-5.16: Livestock and poultry 2002 & 2003 (In 000) Sl. Particulars A. Megha Mizo Nagal NE All No. Pradesh Assam Manipur laya ram and Sikkim Tripura Total India 1 Buffalo 11 678 77 18 6 34 2 14 840 97922 2 Cattle 458 8440 418 767 36 451 159 759 11488 185181 3 Pig 330 1543 415 419 218 644 38 209 3816 13519 4 Goat 231 2987 33 327 17 175 124 472 4366 124358 5 Sheep 19 170 6 18 1 4 6 3 227 61469 6 Horses &ponies 7 12 2 2 2 1 2 NA 28 751 7 Yaks 9 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 16 65 Total poultry 1743 21664 2941 2821 1125 2789 332 3057 36472 489012 Source: Basic Statistics of NER,2006

Sericulture Poverty Eradication in North East India

The major sericulture production in NER is eri and muga. Production silk and tasar is the lowest. The eri is raised using castor plants while muga is raised using som and saulu. Mulberry production is minimum and in the total NER, it accounts 14400 hectares in 2002-03.

Mulberry cocoons production registered 473.2 MT during 2002-03. The production registered substantial decline over 2000-01 to 2003-04. In respect of oak tasar, the production accounted for 14.27 lakh cocoons.

The production under eri and muga which are the prime sericulture activities in the region accounted for 1368.68 MT of eri and 5016.02 Lakh muga cocoons during 2002-03. During 2004- 05, the production of various silk from uncultivated sources accounted for 1605 tonnes (Table- 5.17). The production figures have number of inconsistent reporting and as a result to arrive at a conclusion inferring the status and trend stands as a difficult proposition.

Table-5.17: Sericulture activities in North Eastern State Particulars A. Assam Mani Megha Mizo Naga Sikkim Tripura NE Pradesh pur laya ram land Total 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Area under Mulberry cultivation (Hact.) 1999-00 219 3200 5403 160 1200 688 NA 675 11545 2000-01 526 3442 6186 270 2000 688 NA 906 14018 2002-03 230.20 4151.70 7413.00 67.20 1557.60 305.20 NA 675.00 14399.90 2003-04 237.40 4477.42 NA 917.72 2209.60 305.20 NA NA 8147.34 Production of Mulberry reeling cocoons (MT) 1999-00 3.00 194.00 560.00 16.00 18.00 2.68 NA 35.00 828.68 2000-01 8.10 219.89 320.00 22.56 399.00 4.10 NA 38.00 1011.65 2002-03 18.00 158.16 221.20 18.05 15.00 3.29 NA 39.50 473.20 2003-04 0.70 80.00 NA 21.425 45.00 2.99 NA 39.50 189.62 Production of Oak Tasar Reeling cocoons(Lakh/Nos.) 1999-00 0.44 NA 11.20 NA NA 6.30 NA Nill 17.94 2000-01 0.50 NA 2.52 NA 2.66 NA NA Nill 5.68 2002-03 1.082 0.38 8.40 NA 3.09 1.32 NA NA 14.272 2003-04 0.60 0.38 NA NA 2.70 2.55 NA NA 6.23 Production of Eri cut cocoons (MT) 1998-1999 16.50 640.00 485.00 213.27 4.92 35.86 NA Nill 1395.55 1999-2000 6.40 629.00 482.00 267.80 5.00 37.22 NA Nill 1427.42 2000-2001 13.40 595.84 419.00 315.65 14.00 40.00 NA Nill 1397.89 2002-2003 15.00 634.77 256.00 360.74 0.93 101.24 NA NA 1368.68 2003-2004 4.00 652.61 NA 422.53 3.80 119.70 NA NA 1202.64

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Poverty Eradication in North East India

Production of Muga reeling Cocoons (Lakh/Nos.) 1998-1999 10.05 3430.00 3.36 76.12 NA 1.17 NA Nill 3520.7 1999-2000 1.65 4126.00 4.20 121.10 NA 0.96 NA Nill 4253.91 2000-2001 6.37 5106 4.45 127.7 2.75 3.25 NA Nill 5250.52 2002-2003 12.93 4781.48 1.20 216.96 1.75 1.70 NA NA 5016.02 2003-2004 7.50 4549.55 NA 289.91 4.00 2.65 NA NA 4853.61 State-wise Row silk Production for 2004-05 (Unit tonnes) Vanya Silk Mulberry neg 9 54 5 2.5 0.5 NA 4 75 Tasar NA NA 3 neg NA 0.2 NA NA 3.2 Eri 4 554 431 327 3 98 NA NA 1417 Muga 0.1 104 0.1 5.4 0.1 0.1 NA NA 109.8 Total 4.1 667 488.1 334.9 8.1 98.8 0 4 1605 Sours: Ministry of Textile, Govt. of India

Building upon the strength

Production of large varieties of food crops, sericulture and livestock including fisheries fulfilling the requirement of food and nutrition, cloth and shelter etc. is a traditional heritage in the farming system of northeast. The overriding psyche of the farmers is to ensure food security. This infact is the legacy what farmers have inherited through generations. The harse geographic compulsion and inaccessibility together have forced the farmers in the past to practice a highly diversified and integrated production system. The nature offering enormous opportunities to grow diverse crop, trees and livestock over a wide range of agro- climatic conditions made agricultural diversification a reality in the farming system. The tradition has survived long and still has reasons to continue. The environmental ethics which farming system follows at the core in the use of natural resources by inflicting minimum damage is one reason why there is continuity of the tradition. Maintenance of a crop based micro eco-system in farming through raising diverse range of agricultural crops, sericulture, animal husbandry; fishery etc in an integrated pattern is the other ethics. The ecological value attached to the practice is an onus given the growing concern on global warming.

While the demand for food, cloth and shelter items has increased many folds induced through high population growth and there is as a result increased supply gap; it is necessary that any development intervention focused toward raising agricultural productivity must respect the wisdom available locally and value the environmental ethics inbuilt in the practices. The farming system while bears lot of well regarded principle of nature by inflicting minimum damage to the natural resources, making tiny holding unit economically viable hence is the challenge given the background of integrated and diversified faming practices of the north east. Poverty Eradication in North East India

To build upon the strength, the weaknesses enlisted in the practice need serious attention for removal.

Introduction of Land Saving technology and commercial mode of production into the diversified and integrated farming system

There are two strong weaknesses in the current farm practices. Low productivity which is linked with technology is the one. The other one is the mode of production which has psycholocally remained organized towards subsistence. To improve the low productivity syndrom, there are two technological options for the farmers. Introduction of land augmenting technology which increases yield per hectare with low input cost is the one. This option will be more suitable to the plain and valleys of the region whether it belong to flood free or flood- affected zone. The other technological option lies with the organic farming. The option is the best suitable for vast hill track of the region where organic farming is a practice by default through the method of shifting agriculture.

The second weakness is related to the over riding psyche of production, which is subsistence. The hang over to believe agriculture as way of life has to depart and in place, it has to be recognized that farming is an entrepreneurial activity. The need is to create a condition and opportunities so that farmer’s imbibe the ethos of commercial production into their already practiced diversified farming system.

The new technology and production mode already has made beginning here and there. However to reach benefit to the majority of the small farms, there is need to eliminate number of hindering factors like lack of proper extension guidance for improved technology, adequate physical facilities such as irrigation, proper mechanization and timely supply of quality seeds, access to information etc. a) Need of quality seeds

Quality seed alone can enhance productivity by about 15 to 20 per cent. The HYV seed replacement rate is very poor and on the other hand, most of the cropped areas are under traditional varieties. Quality seed production locally is very low and on the other hand the network for access to such seed is also equally week. Production of adequate quality seeds Poverty Eradication in North East India locally and making the accessible to the farmer’s in time thus are must for catalyzing in farm revolution in a sustainable manner. b) Quality extension services

Extension services play a vital role to create awareness, interest and action among the farmers particularly in the adoption of advanced agricultural technology. The technologies that prevail in the northeast have high level of measurable yield gap as compared to the yield level attained under advance/scientific production system. To bridge the yield gap scenario through adoption of advance technologies, the delivery mechanism of the available extension services is very weak and not farmer friendly. Arrangement of proper and timely extension services thus is an important need for achieving farm revolution in the north east. c) Information

Information of the required quality always has the potential of improving efficiency in all spheres of agriculture. Information requirement is conceived in five broad areas namely; i) Awareness Database- those that facilitate proper understanding of the implications of the WTO on Indian Agriculture, ii) Decision support system- agro-climatic information bank that facilitates farmers to make a proper SWOT analysis to take appropriate decision, iii) Systems that facilitate Indian farmers to forge appropriate alliances for collective benefit, iv) Information on new opportunities, v) Monitoring systems for corrective measures.

In northeast, the present scenario of application of information technology is quite sluggish. Recently, there is initiative to establish village resource centre (VRC) in some selected villages in collaboration with the department of space, Northeastern region, Govt. of India. Arrangement of information in the five-broad areas will help farmers, entrepreneurs and educated youth in a big way. Therefore, there is an urgent need for covering all the villages with VRC to bridge the information gap among the farmers. Poverty Eradication in North East India d) Irrigation infrastructure

Commercial production wit improved technology in integrated and diversified farming system needs provision of assured irrigation facilities for higher return. Whereas, irrigation is a weak link in the agriculture of northeast. It is primarily rain fed with only about 15 per cent of the gross cropped area having irrigation as against 31 per cent at all-India level. The lowest is a mere 9 per cent in Mizoram and the highest is in Manipur (35). In the hills, hard and rocky soil renders it difficult to sink tube wells for ground water. The effort for expansion in the plain is inadequate. Since assured irrigation alone can enhance productivity by about 15 to 20 per cent, the need for covering more area under irrigation thus is eminent.