Agriculture & Animal Husbandry

Role of Agriculture in Bihar’s Economy

The agricultural sector in Bihar occupies a central place in the state’s overall economy for three main reasons first, about 74 percent of the workforce in Bihar depend on agricultural and allied activities for their livelihood; second, the rich natural resources of the Gangetic plains offer opportunities for agricultural development; and the last, a vast majority of the poor remain malnourished.

As per the Saat Nishchay-2 (Har Keht ko Pani), the State Government made plans to provide water to irrigate every field in the state. The Agriculture Roadmap-III (2017-2022) emphasised on unlocking the potential of agriculture by focusing on adoption of organic farming and better water management practices to lead a second Green Revolution in Bihar.

Important Crops of Bihar

Rice

• Rice is the most important cereal of the state as it covers large cereal growing area. It is grown in Bhadai Aghani and Garma seasons. Certainly the Bhadai and Garma Paddy remain localized but Aghani paddy remains widespread throughout Bihar.
• It may be noted that Bhadai paddy is mostly grown in north-eastern portion of the state where pre-monsoon rain encourage farmers to grow this type of paddy.
• The cultivation of garma paddy is also very costly as its cultivation depends on irrigation and fertiliser. As such, its cultivation remains localised.
• Certainly Bhadai Paddy is better preferred than garma paddy areas before the encroachment of flood water.
• Moreover, its cultivation in north-eastern portion is preferred because pre-monsoon rain remains more important in this region.
• Aghani paddy is grown almost everywhere. Certainly its cultivation is well noted in Son canal area. Gandak basin, Makla basin, etc.
• In some areas of Bihar, especially high flood prone region, farmers avoid Aghani rice because of the fear of damage of standing paddy during the occurrence of flood or heavy rainfall.
• The highest productivity or rice (202:1-22) was reported from Rohtas (4396 kg per pectare) cultivated in an area of 0.97 lakh hectare and the lowest level of productivity was recorded in Muzaffarpur (1194 kg pe hectare), grown in an area of 1.23 lakh hectares.
• In terms of production, the leading districts are Rohtas, Aurangabad and Kaimur which accounted for 28.5 per cent of the total rice production in the state.

Wheat

• After rice, wheat is the second most important cereal. It is a Rabi crop sown in November and December and harvested in March and April. The best suited soil is sandy soil having capacity to retain moisture. Ganga Diara, Bagmati plain and South and West part are particularly important.
• The highest prodcutivituy of wheat crop was reported from West Champaran at 4904 kg hectare, while the lowest productivity was reported from Sheikhpura at 1915 kg per hectare.

Maize

• This is the third important crop of Bihar which is grown in all growing agricultural seasons- Bhadai, Aghani, Rabi and Garma.
• Its cultivation has also accelerated during recent years due to high yielding varieties of maize, development of irrigation and its varied use for commercial purposes.
• This crop in suited to all areas, especially the Diara areas having loamy soil, alluvial flood plain and other areas.
• Certainly in Diara and flood prone areas early variety of Bhadai maize is grown to avoid the flood problem. In the hilly areas, Bhadai paddy is preferred because of rain based maize cultivation. In the Gandak Plain, maize is grown in Aghani season.
• The highest productivity was recoded in Araria (8361 kg per hectare), while the lowest productivity was seen in East Champaran (1748 kg per hecatre).
• With regard to production levels, the leading districts are Araria, Purnea and Katihar.

Pulses

• The state of Bihar has been important from the point of view of different types of pulses.
• Virtually pulses are grown in all seasons like: Bhadai, Aghani, Rabi and Garma.
• Important pulses grown in there state include Kharif pulses like Arhar, Urad, Bhadai Moong, Kulthi other Kharif pulses, Ghaghra (cow pea); Rabi pulses like Gram, Lentil (Masoor), Pea, Khesari other Rabi Pulses and Summer Moong.
• Some of these pulses have specialised area in this state being determined by physical conditions, although entire state has pulse area.
• The area of Patna, Nalanda, Jehanabad, etc. having Kewal soil has been famous for the production of Khesari and Masoor.
• The highest productivity was recorded (2021-22) in Jehanawad at 1306 kg per hectare, while the lowest one was recorded in Araria 57.6 kg per hectar. District-wise, Patna recorded the highest production (0.68 lakh tonne).

Sugarcane

• Among the cash crops, sugarcane is the leading crop of Bihar. Its cultivation has also considerably decreased during the last few decades and at present it is grown in about 2.4 lakh hectares of the gross cropped area of the state.
• The total sugarcane production stood at 119.77 lakh tonnes in 2021-22.
• The shrinkage in area has been caused due to competition with other food crops and vegetables. Its cultivation involves the period of 10 to 12 months.
• Condition for the production of sugarcane is better here because of hot and humid climate, heavy loamy soil, availability of labour force, irrigation facilities, etc. Its main areas are localised in the Gandak, Baghmati, Kamla and Ghaghra Basin.

Barley

• It is a very important crop grown in Saran, Champaran, Darbhanga, etc. Barley thrives best on light, sandy and porous soils but it is handy crop and can withstand an excess or deficiency in soil moisture.
• It can be grown on soils which is considered too poor for wheat with comparatively little preparation and no manure. Even if sown late, it ripens at its usual time.

Oil Seeds

• Linseed, rapeseed, mustard, til, surguja and castor, etc., are types of oilseeds which are grown extensively in Bihar. Every area has some oilseed crop. Linseed which is a crop of deep moisture retaining heavy loam is mainly confined to Gangetic plain.
• ‘Til’ and ‘Surguja’ which is a poor soil crop is also grown in different pockets, more so in areas adjoining Jharkhand. Rapeseed and mustard show a more equitable distribution in terms of its cultivation area.
• The production of total oilseeds was 1.21 lakh tonnes in 2021-22 with its productivity gain among oilseeds, followed Safflower and linseed.

Jute

• Jute is the only fibre of any importance grown in Bihar. It is cultivated mainly in eastern part of the north Gangetic plain.
• It is an important cash crop. It is grown by farmers in other parts of north Gangetic plains for their personal use.

Production of Fruits

The gangetic alluvial soil of Bihar is fertile and helps farmers to produce vegetables at a low cost.

Area and Production of Vegetables

• Apart from major cereals, pulses, cash crops, the state of Bihar gained importance in the production of variety of vegetables and fruits.
• These days vegetable are grown in all seasons. Certainly the production of potato, onion, tomato and other green vegetables has remarkably increased in the state of Bihar.
• The government is also encouraging farmers to grow varieties of vegetables for supply in Indian markets.
• The district of Nalanda has emerged as most prominent district with very high productivity in potato. Similarly, Vaishali district has become famous for early variety of cauliflower. Samastipur is specialised in Chilli production. Diara areas of the river Ganga, Gandak, Bagmati, Kosi, etc. have specialised in the production of gourds and seasonal fruits.
• The total vegetable production in 2021-22 comprised potato (90.35 lakh tonnes), brinjal (12.04 lakh tonnes), onion (13.28 lakh tonnes), cauliflower (10.36 lakh tonnes), tomato (9.65 lakh tonnes), lady’s finger (7.94 lakh tonnes) and cabbage (7.22 lakh tonnes).
• The maximum area under production of vegetable is 8.82 lakh hectares.
• The Agriculture Road Map III (2017-22) indicates the emphasis being given to organic cultivation of fruits and vegetables.
• For stepping up the facilities for post-harvest management of products.
• The National Horticulture Mission is being implemented in 23 districts of the state.
• The remaining 15 districts are being targeted through the Chief Minister’s Horticulture Mission. Providing access to quality planting meterial, encouraging to tissue culture technology (through the Bihar Agricultural University in Sabour), and boosting integrated nutrient management have benefitted this sector.

Agriculture Road Map

Agriculture Road Map-I

• The state government launched the first Agriculture Road Map in 2008; this ended on March 31, 2012.
• Under this road map, the Seed Village Scheme and the Chief Minister Rapid Seed Extension Program were highly successful.

Agriculture Road Map-II

With the success of Agriculture Road Map I, the state government launched the Agriculture Road Map II on April 3, 2012. The major goals of this road map were as follows:

• To sustain and ensure equitable farming and agricultural growth with focus on gender and human aspects.
• To ensure food security.
• To ensure increase in farmer’s income.
• To ensure nutritional security.
• To check migration and create gainful migration.
• To conserve and sustain tnatural resources by their sustainable use.
• To ensure one product from Bihar reaches every Indian’s plate. Under Agricultural Road Map II, the state government identified the following targets for expansion of the irrigation potential in Bihar:
• Strategy to increase the irrigation potential to 101.09 lakh hectares by March, 2017.
• The summer irrigation potential to be increased from 3.0 lakh hectares to 30.6 lakh hectare by March, 2017.
• It was proposed to establish 14.64 lakh private tubewells by 2022.
• There was a proposal for extensive renovation of about 1770 Ahar/ Pynes by March, 2017.
• There was a proposal to interlink rivers, to transfer surplus water from the river of northern Bihar by pumping through the Ganga by 2022.

Agriculture Road Map III (2017-22)

• Various plans and programmes was outlined by the state government in the Agriculture Road Map III (2017-22) towards achieving higher agricultural productivity and boosting rural income.
• Establishing organic corridor along the Ganga has received special impetus in the state’s planning to reap the benefits of fertile alluvial soil and abundant water resources.
• Given that the mineral resources of the state have remained in the present state of Jharkhand after the bifurcation of Bihar in 2000, the expansion of agriculture and allied sectors was central to steering development in the state.

Agriculture Road Map-IV (2023-2028)

• For the development of the agriculture sector, the first, second and third agricultural road maps have been implemented by the state government. After March 31, 2023, the Fourth Agriculture Road Map have been implemented for further 5 years, Under which increasing the income of farmers from agriculture, value addition of agricultural products and entrepreneurship related to agriculture will be promoted. Education and research institute related to agriculture will be established.
• Special emphasis will be laid on the development of pulses and oilseeds in the fourth agricultural road map.
• For this, a special custom hiring center will be set up in the state to promote pulses and oilseeds development mission and modern agricultural machinery.
• The overall scheme of seed, seed rolling plan will be implemented. From the production of seeds ensuring the availability of seeds among the farmers, the participation of the private sector will be increased.
• To acquaint with the threat of increasing irregularity of monsoon due to climate change and its solution, by running climate friendly agriculture program as a permanent program in the state, climate friendly agricultural technology under the supervision of agricultural scientists in each district will be conducted directly.

Pattern of Land Utilisation

• Land is one of the greatest resource of an area. It provides the space for human dwellings, factories, cultivation, orchards, forest, communication lines and other activities. They are vital or crucial for the survival of mankind.
• Bihar falls in the reverine plain of the Ganga basin. Due to its topographical nature and high concentration of population, the proportion of total land put to agricultural use is high as compared to the national average.
• The land is generally categorised into several groups based on different uses by man. The use of land considerably differs in urban and rural areas.
• The land is used, however, for the construction of dwellings, roads, agriculture, industries, water bodies, recreation, religious places, etc. in both the regions.
• The areas having agricultural based economy have agricultural utilization of land as significant and dominant activity.
• The area under forests as a proportion of total area has remained constant at 6.6 per cent over the last 5 years at 621.64 lakh hectares.
• This pattern continues for areas, such as barren and unculturable and (4.6 per cent), land under tree crops (2.6 per cent), fallow land (1.3 per cent), culturable waste land (0.5 per cent), area under permanent pastures (0.2 per cent), and water bodies (3.8 per cent) over the five-year period.
• Gross Cropped Area (GCA) stood at 7525.18 lakh hectares in 2017-18.
• The cropping intensity in the state has increased marginally from 1.11 in 2012-13 to 1.44 in 2017-18.
• Overall, about 56.0 per cent of the land was under cultivation in Bihar during 2017-18.

Bihar Rajya Beej Nigam Limited

• The main functions of the Nigam is to encourage seed production, seed processing, and seed distribution. Presently, the Nigam has seed processing operations at six centres – Kudra (Kaimur), Sherghati (Gaya), Hajipur (Vaishali), Bihta, Bhagalpur and Begusarai. The other functions of the Nigam include:
• Production of foundation seed, produced from state agricultural sectors.
• Production and storage of certified seeds, produced through foundation seeds obtained from the farms of progressive farmers.
• Processing and tagging of certified seeds in the processing unit, after processing and certification; and seed distribution through various schemes at subsidized rates operated by the Department of Agriculture.

Bihar Agricultural Management and Extension training Institute (BAMETI)

• The BAMETI is a state-level training institute, which plays an importanıt role in incorporating new technologies in the service of agricultural extension in the state. BAMETI is an autonomous institution, registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It provides training and training-related materials to the different departments of the State Government by contacting various technology and management institutes for new programmes as per demand. Its main purpose is:
• To promote modern technologies in agricultural extension management of the state by establishing coordination of reputed institutions at regional and national level.
• BAMETI aims to conduct research on the impediments related to agricultural extension management, policy and provide appropriate guidance at every level.
• The Institute aims to resolve the issues related to agriculture through modern techniques for better management of human and natural resources.
• The Institute aims to do field-based research in the field of agricultural extension management to improve knowledge sharing among the different stakeholders.

Animal Husbandry

The contribution of livestock and aquaculture together contributed about 7.10 per cent, of Gross Value Added (GVA) in agriculture sector in Bihar during 2018-19.

Livestock Wealth

• According to the Livestock Census of 2019, the total livestock population in Bihar increased from 3.29 crore in 2012 to 3.65 crore in 2019, registering an increase of 10.67 per cent.
• The Livestock Census of 2019 revealed that the total livestock population in Bihar increased from 26.96 million in 2003 to 36.54 million in 2019, registering an increase of 35.5 percent.
• The cattle population (15.4 million) accounted for nearly 42.1 percent of the total livestock population, followed by goat at 12.82 million (35.1 percent) and buffaloes at 7.72 million (21.1 percent).
• Poultry population registered an increase from 13.97 million in 2003 to 16.53 million in 2019, recording an increase of 18.3 percent.
• Higher shares of cows are in Araria, Gaya, Katihar, Banka and Madhubani. While the districts of Madhepura, East Champaran, Nalanda and Gaya had higher proportion of buffaloes.
• Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Kishanganj, Katihar and Araria have higher concentration of poultry in the state.

Dairy Farming

• Besides providing fresh milk, dairy farmers produce high-quality animal protein products to meet the growing demand of the population. The production and processing facilities for milk sector is being carried out by dairy co-operatives, which are promoted and supported by the Directorate of Daily Development and COMFED.
• Under COMFED, 11 dairy co-operative socities are presently functioning, and 22,971 milk co-operatives were organisd till 2018-19, registering an annual growth rate of 2.7 per cent over the year,
• The total milk output in Bihar increased from 92.41 lakh tonnes in 2017- 18 to 121.19 lakh tonnes in 2021-22 registering an annual growth rate of 7.3 percentage.
• The major source of milk production in the state is cows which accounted for nearly 58.6 per cent of the total milk production, followed by buffaloes (39.2 per cent) and goats (2.2 per cent).
• The districts of Patna, Samastipur, Nalanda, Begusarai, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Supaul had a higher proportion of milk production from the bovines. Similarly, Araria, East Champaran, West Champaran, Muzaffarpur and Katihar have a higher share in milk production from goats in 2018-19.

Fisheries

• Bihar has around 3.76 per cent (352.37 thousand hectares) of its total geographical area endowed with water resources.
• Fisheries serve as a productive source of livelihood for a large proportion of landless labourers and small landholders in the state. This facilitates the growth of fisheries in the state.
• The share of fisheries and aquaculture in the agriculture GSDP of Bihar was about 8.4 percent in 2019-20.
• The total fish production in the state steadily increased from 5.87 lakh tonnes in 2017-18 to 7.62 lakh tonnes during 2021-22, registering an annual growth rate of 6.7 percent.
• Fisheries serve as a productive source of livelihood for a proportion of landless labourers and smallholders in the state.
• Three leading districts in terms of fish production in 2021-22 were- Madhubani (0.81 lakh tonne), Darbhanga (0.75 lakh tonne) and East Champaran (0.71 lakh tonne).
• Madhubani, Darbhanga, East Champaran, Katihar and West Champarn were together constituted about 29.8 percent of the total fish production in the state, during 2021-22.
• In case of distribution of fish seeds, the top three districts are Muzaffarpur (9250 lakh), Madhubani (2282 lakh) and Banka (1233 lakh) during 2021-22.