Skip to main content

Gujarat agriculture fluctuates yet again: Oilseeds dip by 42.54 pc, wheat by 23.5 pc, cotton by 16.34 pc

By Rajiv Shah
Latest data obtained from sources in the Gujarat government have revealed that state agricultural production sharply dipped during the fiscal 2012-13 compared to 2011-12, such it would suggest that the state farm sector remains highly volatile, despite claims to the contrary by the state officialdom and a group of the economists. The figures show that the foodgrains production in Gujarat dipped by a whopping 22.87 per cent, cotton production by 16.34 per cent and oil seeds production by 42.54 per cent. The dip has come against the backdrop of claims by economists Prof Tushaar Shah and Prof Ravindra Dholakia, who have tried to prove in their respective studies that improved farm techniques and decentralized irrigation practices like checkdams and watershed projects have largely mitigated the impact of drought in Gujarat.
Foodgrains production in Gujarat during 2012-13, when large parts of the state were under a drought-like situation, went down from 92.95 lakh tonnes to 73.25 lakh tonnes, cotton production – which is main success due to the availability of new varieties – went down from 103.75 lakh bales to 86.25 lakh bales (each 100 bales is equal to 170 kg). As for oilseeds, which suffered the most, its production went down from 50.38 lakh tonnes to 28.93 lakh tonnes. A further breakup shows that groundnut suffered even more – its production went down from 27.17 lakh tonnes to a mere 7.58 lakh tonnes, a fall of 72.10 per cent, of wheat from 40.72 lakh tonnes to 31.35 lakh tonnes, a fall of 23.01 per cent, and of rice from 17.90 lakh tonnes to 15.90 lakh tonnes, a fall of 16.03 per cent.
Top agrarian economist Prof YK Alagh said, one of the major reasons why cotton, wheat and rice production rose in the recent years was because state government allowed farmers to lift Narmada waters from the still incomplete canal network. “The fall of production in these three crops would go to suggest that Narmada’s irrigation facilities were not easily available to the farmers last year, for whatever reasons”, he said, adding, “I presume this could be because of two reasons. While less amount of water was flowing down the main and branch canals which have been completed, the state government clamped down on farmers wanting to irrigate their fields by lifting waters straight from the existing incomplete canals by sinking diesel pumps.”
Another economist, Prof Indira Hirway, who has long disagreed with Prof Dholakia and Prof Shah that Gujarat agriculture has become considerably less volatile than the rest of India because of better irrigation and farm techniques, insists, “There could be three main reasons for this fall in agricultural production. First of all, the international market was not conducive for the rich farmers to export their produce abroad. Secondly, Narmada canals wherever they are available fail to benefit the marginal and small farmers; as a result they suffer the most in a drought-like situation. And finally, most important, large parts of the state remain rainfed. In fact, whenever there is scarcity of rainfall, the tendency of the rich farmers is to mine groundwater and deplete it to a new level.”
The figures made available from the Socio-Economic Review of the Gujarat State, published by the state government, suggest that the state agriculture has failed to come out of volatility in the second half of 2000s, when new farm techniques and decentralized irrigation facilities are claimed to have made maximum impact. Take for instance wheat. Its production was 23.19 lakh tonnes in 2005-06, reached 38.38 lakh tonnes in 2007-08, went down to 25.93 lakh tonnes in 2008-09, and further down to 23.51 lakh tonnes in the next year, 2009-10, and then rose to 50.13 lakh tonnes in 2010-11, when the Gujarat government went ga-ga over it and declared that things have begun looking up for foodgrains, one of the chief concerns in a state suffering from high malnutrition levels. However, things did not remain rosy for the next two years – it dipped to 40.72 lakh tonnes in 2011-12, and further to 31.35 lakh tonnes in 2012-13.
Cotton, which is the main success story thanks mainly to the great successes of the MNC-inspired Bt seeds from Monsanto, is also not without volatility, either. It was 40.27 lakh bales in 2003-04, rose to double as much to 82.76 lakh bales in 2007-08, and then dipped to 70.14 lakh bales in 2008-09, went up again to 103.75 lakh tonnes in 2011-12, and went into the negative in 2012-13, reaching 86.80 lakh bales. Most volatile have been oilseeds, especially groundnut, the main crop in the arid zone of Saurashtra region, where the checkdam successes are said to be rampant. The groundnut production in 2012-13 is the worst ever – a mere 7.58 lakh tonnes. It reached highest in 2010-11, to 35.75 lakh tonnes. High volatility is also seen in two other drought crops – jowar and bajra. Jowar production in 2012-13 was 1.16 lakh tonnes, vut 2.08 lakh tonnes in 2008-09, and Bajra was 10.71 lakh tonnes in 2012-13 and 16.12 lakh tonnes in 2011-12.


Area (000 hectares)
Production (000 tonnes)
         Area
Production

11-12
12-13
11-12
12-13
    (% change)
Rice
836
703
1790
1503
-15.9
-16.03
Wheat
1351
1050
4072
3135
-22.28
-23.01
Jowar
124
88
140
116
-29.03
-17.14
Bajra
866
619
1612
1071
-28.52
-33.56
Foodgrains 
4735
3681
9257
7325
-22.26
-20.87
Cotton*
3003
2515
10375
8680
-16.25
-16.34
Groundnut
1686
1294
2717
758
23.25
-72.1
Oil seeds
3130
2540
5035
2893
-18.84
-42.54












* In bales (000)

Comments

TRENDING

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

Polygamy in India "down" in 45 yrs: Muslims' from 5.7 to 2.55%, Hindus' 5.8 to 1.77%, "common" in SCs, STs

By Rajiv Shah Amidst All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) justifying polygamy, saying it “meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women”, facts suggest the the practice is down from 5.7 per cent of Muslim families in 1961 to 2.55 per cent in 2006.

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk  As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Modi govt 'wholly untrustworthy' on Covid data, censored criticism on pandemic: Lancet

By Rajiv Shah*   One of the world’s most prestigious health journals, brought out from England, has sharply criticised the Narendra Modi government for being “wholly untrustworthy on Covid-19 health data”, stating, the “official government figures place deaths at more than 530 000, while WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 are near 4·7 million.”

Savarkar 'opposed' Bhagat Singh's, Netaji's dream of India, supported British war efforts

By Shamsul Islam* In a shocking development, the student wing of the RSS put the busts of martyrs Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose with Savarkar's on one pedestal at the University of Delhi late in the night on August 20, 2019. Bhagat Singh sacrificed his life for a socialist-democratic-secular republic and Netaji raised Azad Hind Fauj (INA) consisting of people of all religions and regions for armed liberation of India.