Agricultural inputs to fast track growth of Jharkhand

Agricultural inputs to fast-track growth of Jharkhand

“Rising sun of Indian horizon, land of hope and prosperity” is how the official web site of Jharkhand government describes the state.
Carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000 with a geographical area of 79.7 lakh hectares, the state has completed four years of its existence, yet the state has failed to meet the aspirations of its people, which consist predominantly of tribals, in the name of welfare of whom, the state was created.
Endowed with vast natural resources like coal, mica, iron ores and other minerals, Jharkhand exemplifies the paradox of being a rich state with poor people. Though the government presents surplus budgets, the only such state in the country, 62 per cent of its people live below poverty line. The state boasts of vast reserves of coal and uranium and many thermal and hydel power projects, yet 55 per cent of its villages have no access to electricity. The state takes pride in large number of students it sends to various medical and engineering colleges all over India, yet the average literacy rate at 52.7 per cent is much below the national average of 65 per cent. The people of Jharkhand are living how secluded a life from the rest of the world can be gauged from the fact that only 42 per cent of the villages are connected by roads.
Jharkhand, as a part of Bihar, had been the industrial face of the state. Despite the fact that 80 per cent of its population living in 32,620 villages are dependant on agriculture and allied activities for its living hood, this is one area which had been largely neglected over the years. Out of a total geographical area of 79.7 lakh hectares, the cultivable land is 38 lakh hectares and the net sown area is just 18.04 lakh hectares. There’s a vast scope of bringing new and virgin land under agriculture. This would generate gainful employment for opportunities for thousands of tribals living in the state. The agricultural practices adopted here are primitive. Farmers, mostly, depend on rain god for irrigation. If monsoon fails, the crop fails. Farmers have little access to high yielding varieties of seeds and the use of fertilizers and pesticides is too low to yield a good crop. Agricultural tools and implements are age-old. Oxen and buffaloes are still used to plough the fields. Though the agriculture in Jharkhand is mainly for subsistence and is labour intensive, yet the perennial problem of Indian farming, the scarcity of markets haunts the farmers of the state. The main crops of Jharkhand are paddy and wheat. The diversification of crops can give a desirable fillip to the economic conditions of the state.
As has been mentioned earlier, the net sown area in Jharkhand is just 18.04 lakh hectares. Out of this, only 1.57 lakh hectares is irrigated which is mere eight per cent of net sown area, despite the fact that many major, medium and minor rivers like Damodar, Suvarnarekha, Garga, Bhedia and others criss-cross the state. Other than monsoon, farmers of Jharkhand depend mainly on wells for irrigation. Vast ground water reserve offers the state a unique opportunity of this water by constructing 8-10 lakh additional wells. Water from personal tube wells, canals, lift irrigation and pond is used for irrigation. If all the sources of irrigation are harnessed efficiently, the state has the potential to emerge as a food basket for the nation.
Institutionalized finance and credit elude the farmers due to poor means of communication, leaving farmers upon the mercy of local landlords and money-lenders who emaciate them further. Self-help groups and co-operatives of farmers should be formed to get them out of the clutches of the money-lenders.
In addition to agriculture, tribal people of the state depend on cattle rearing. Cows and buffaloes are reared to meet the milk requirements of the state. Tribals generally rear goats, pigs and hens which are not only the source of nutritious food but also give them good income. If cattle rearing centres and breeding centres are established at district and block levels and managed efficiently, the state has the potential not only to meet local requirements but can exploit export opportunities too. There is a feed plant in Ranchi which has been in news for all the wrong reasons, for its involvement in fodder scam.
Moreover, 29 per cent of the total land area of the states is covered by forests. Forest products constitute a large part of income of the tribals. Forests in Jharkhand are bestowed with good quality timber which can be used for making furniture. Medicinal and aromatic plants are also in abundance. Scientific exploitation of forest products would give the economy of Jharkhand a major boost without playing havoc with the ecological balance. The cultivation of Tendu leaves, of which bidi is made alone has the potential to generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for several households. Tribal people have drawn their living from forests for ages and they share an emotional association with the forest. If they are trained to exploit forest resources in a sustainable manner while guarding forest from illegal intruders, it can work wonders.
People of Jharkhand have harvested rainwater for ages by building ponds which are used for various domestic purposes. These ponds make the scene conducive fro pisciculture. There are vast possibilities for growing fruits and vegetables in the state. All these potentials make the state a lucrative destination for food processing industries. Thus the potential in the state can be realized to make it a self-sufficient and economically state. Agricultural inputs are required to put the state on fast-track growth rate. How long will it take the state politicians, distant from the ground reality, to shed the industry-centric growth spectacles and make people centric development their prime focus remains to be seen.




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Amitabh Shankar
Mobile no -9868563226
amitabh_shankar2003@yahoo.co.in

Ajit Bhawan
House no 352 D/2
Munirka
New Delhi--- 110067