Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Farm output down by 71 lakh tonnes in Gujarat -Himanshu Kaushik

Farm output down by 71 lakh tonnes in Gujarat -Himanshu Kaushik

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Jul 20, 2015   modified Modified on Jul 20, 2015
-The Times of India

AHMEDABAD: Inadequate rains and farmers selling land to make way for industries to be one of the main reasons that have led to Gujarat's farms yield to be lower by 71 lakh tones in 2014-15. This was revealed last week after the state agriculture department sent production estimates for 2014-15 to the central government.

Gujarat's cultivation area for rabi, kharif and summer crops went down by 32.42 lakh hectares, in 2014-15 as compared to 2013-14 and accounts for a 27.21% fall. As a result, the state's annual agriculture production went down by 20.5% during the same period.

With the exception of a few, there was a drop in production in most crops. The biggest loser was THE groundnut crop where despite a fall of only 4.41 lakh hectare in area, the production was only 20.37 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 as against production of 54.46 lakh hectares. Interestingly the cotton production in the state also fell by nearly two lakh tonnes despite increase in area of cultivation.

State minister of agriculture Babubhai Bokhiriya attributes the fall in production to less rainfall activity in the last year. "As there was no water in the dams so farmers could not sow their crops therefore the per hectare yield has come down drastically."

However, some people say there is another reason for this decline. The dean of an agriculture college refusing to be identified said agricultural land is being acquired for industry and hence the fall in production. Citing an example he said in 2014 average area of farming for the kharif crop was 86.80 lakh hectares, but for 2015 it has come down to 85.53 lakh hectare a drop of 1.3 lakh hectares. This land has been either diverted to industry or infrastructure development. R L Siyani a professor of agriculture economics in Junagadh attributes the fall to inadequate rains adding that not a lot of agricultural land was diverted for industrial development. He says that only a nominal amount of land is diverted for industry and infrastructure projects and with the state having nearly 194 lakh hectares of land and only 114 lakh hectares being used for agriculture, the remaining is diverted for industry, he said. A V Barad, the dean of Junagadh Agriculture College too says inadequate rains were the main reason, but industralization cannot be ruled out either.

B S Patel, the director of agriculture says, "There was less water in dams and add to that inadequate rains in 2014, this has led to less sowing of rabi and summer crops resulting less agricultural production."

The Times of India, 20 July, 2015, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Farm-output-down-by-71-lakh-tonnes-in-Gujarat/articleshow/48138161.cms


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close