Agriculture

Nearly 51 percent of the State’s population depends on agriculture for its livelihood. This sector has been the single largest provider of employment to the rural people especially the hilly forest areas of the State. However, the contribution of agriculture sector as a whole in the State’s economy is reducing over the period due to growth in other sectors.

The agriculture has an important potential demand base for both industry and services sectors, in addition to being the supply base for food and raw material. Therefore, better performance of the agriculture has a direct and multiplier effect across the economy. Agriculture sector plays the key role in the state’s economy.

The ongoing surge in prices of major food items in the country, which began in 2006, has significant implications for the agriculture sector and overall macroeconomic and financial stability. Agriculture growth has remained lower than the growth rates witnessed in the industrial and services sectors in the State.

In Tripura, the prices of major agricultural commodities such as rice, atta, masur dal, fish, meat, egg, milk, mustard oil, gur and salt remained high in 2008 over 2007, although, prices of some fruits and vegetables were remained stable.

The 60 percent of the geographical area is high land and only about 27 percent is available for cultivation. There is hardly any scope of getting additional land for cultivation of food crops. The performance in agriculture continues to be essentially monsoon driven.

On the other hand, increasing population in the State has posed a serious threat to agriculture scenario in the years to come. At present there is a gap between actual production and requirement of foodgrains in the State. The annual requirement of food grains by 2010 AD will be 8.22 lakhs Mt.

The target for production of foodgrains was fixed at 7.50 lakh Mt for 2007 - 08 against which anticipated achievement was in the tune of 6.50 lakh Mt. It is pertinent to mention here that 2007-08 experienced four consecutive floods in the month of June, July, September and October 2007 and also faced hail storm/ cyclone in the month of November 2007. As result expected production has been anticipated to be reduced by one lakh Mt.

The main agricultural crops grown in the State are paddy, maize, wheat, pulses, oilseeds, jute and mesta. Fragmentation of land holding is still continuing as a part of social phenomenon. Average size of holding has been declined from 1.25 hectares in 1976-1977 to 0.97 hectares in 1990-1991 and this is the lowest amongst the NE Region. Traditionally, people in the hills cultivate on high slopes by practicing jhum or shifting cultivation. The State Government has been given technical guidance and production inputs under improved method of jhum cultivation programme especially.

The State’s favourable agro-climatic conditions, fertile siols, sub-tropical climate with pockets of temperate zones, large tilla lands and abundance of rainfall really offers immense scope for development of horticulture sector comprising of fruits, vegetables, spices, plantation crops, floriculture, medicinal and aromatic plants etc. The activities of agriculture and allied sector in the State by and large are in the hands of small and marginal cultivators. Soil of the State is very furtile and receives abundant normal rainfall, which is conducive for agriculture and horticultural crops including rubber and tea plantations.

Land use classification:

Estimated net cropped area in the year 2007-08 was 2,53,909 hectare, which was 2, 55,000 hectare in 2006-07. The total cropped area was 4, 45,681 in 2007-08 as compare to 4,48,935 hectare in 2006-07. The area sown more than once was 1, 91,772 in 2007-08. The cropping intensity has increased to 175 percent in 2002-2003 from 173 percent in 2001-2002 that further rose to 176 percent in 2007-08.

The following table illustrates the land use classification as well as cropping intensity in the State for the year 2007-08.

Source: Economic Review of Tripura 2007-08.

District-wise Area, Production and Yield of Important Crops of Tripura in 2006-07:

(Production in MT, Yield in Kg/Hectare)

Source: Economic Review of Tripura 2007-08.