Agriculture

Introduction

Agricultural Development: A Brief Review

Food Grain Production

Rice Production

Oil Seed Production

Horticulture Achievement

Proposed Development Programme

Karbi Anglong is one of the enchanting distritcs of Assam. The district is located in the central part of the state. It enjoys autonomy under the provision of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The hil district has a wise variety in topography. It is interesting to note that there is wide disparity in raifall. Though the avarage rainfall in the districts is about 2416 mm Kheroni, Amreng, & Dhansiri areas of Karbi Anglong are known as rain shadow areas. The soil pattern in the slopes is laterite and red loam in the valleys.

Agriculture is the main stay of the tribal population of the districts. The traditional method of cultivation is the slash & burn one, commonly known as jhuming.

The department of Agriculture is implementing numbers of schemes and has adopted two pronged strategies for agriculture development, viz. motivation of jhumias for adopting permanent cultivation in slopes through terracing and other measures of checking soil erosion and cultivation of horticultural crops such as pineapple, orange, mausambi, black pepper, papaya, arecanut and field crops like maiza, cotton, jute, mesta etc. on the plain valley. The other is the introduction of high yeilding varieties of paddy, maize, wheat & improved varieties of oil seed, pulses, sugarcane & vegetables.

The production of food grains has been maintaining and increasing trend during Eight Five Years Plan. It is mainly the rice amongst food crops. Popularization of short duration of H.Y.V. paddy and increased doubled cropped area in the automn paddy help in increasing the productivity.

The total gross cropped areas in the distrct is about 1,85,000 hect. and the net area is about 1,52, 193 hect. The area sown more than once is about 32,807 hect. with cropping intensity of about 122%.

The total rice covers an area of 1,25,936 hectares which is about 90 percent of the food grain areas, and coverage of H.Y.V. paddy is 81,540 hect. (about 65 percent of the total rice area) which greatly contributes to the total production.

Among oil seeds, rape & mustard is cultivated in 20.49 thousands hect. of the total oil seed area of the district. The avarage productivity of rape and mustard during during 1995-96 was 715 Kg. per hect. which was comparatively high to the average of 514 Kg. per hect. of national average. The total production of 15.02 thousands tonnes was achieved in 1998-99 against 13.62 thousands tonnes in 1994-95.

The department of Agriculture has taken up schemes to increase oil seed production through introduction of new cropes like groundnut, sunflower, soyabean & niger.

Horticulture in the hill region plays an important role on the tribal economy. The department of Agriculture has developed 14 no.s of progeny orchards in different places in the district with the objective of raising quality planting materials like Assam-lemon-layers, pears cutting, Arecanut seedlings, coconut seedlings, banana suckers, black peeper cuttings etc. for distribution amongst the cultivators through departmental programmes like Kishan Mela & Demonstration Programmes. Endowed witha favourable climate & soil, the crops like pineapples, orange, maushumbi, pears, papaya, arecanut, coconut are extensively cultivated in the region. The total production of fruits was 71.56 thousands tonnes as against 59.31 thousands tonnes on 1987-88. Similarly, the region is suitable for growing Kharif & Rabi vegetables. The production of vegetables has increased to 43.98 thousand M.T. in 1998-99 as against 41.83 thousand M.T. in 1994-95.

Similarly, spices are grown extensively under commercial basis. Spices includes ginger, turmeric, chilli, gerlic, onion & cariander in recent years. Likewise, the common tuber crops grown in the district are potato, tapioca & sweet potato.

            1) Establishment of 5 no.s of cold storage of 1000 M.T. capacity

            2) Establishment of 2 no.s of ginger dehydration plant.

            3) Schemes for development of mushroom cultivation

            4) Special Horticultural scheme for the year 1999-2000.

            5) Ten years perspective Cash crop & Horticultural crops Development Scheme to be

                initiated by the authority of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council

Area and Production of Major Crops (Data relates to 1998-99)