NEDP Intervention In Agriculture And Allied Sector

Agriculture and Allied Sector has been identified as one of the most important key growth drivers under the National Economic Development Plan (NEDP).

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About 47.5 88 per cent of the population of the State are engaged in Agricultural and Allied activities (2013 Labour Bureau), whereas share of the sector to the State Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is 32 per cent (2016-17). Hence, the contention for focussed attention to specially selected crops and infrastructure requirements and other policy interventions of the sector is under NEDP.

Marketing of agricultural and horticultural produce is an important area which has been identified for special attention under NEDP. Despite efforts of the State Government, there is yet a breakthrough in profitable marketing of produce. As of now, nearly 70 per cent of marketable surplus are disposed off through middlemen. A system of ‘forward contract’ is the norm in some horticultural crops such as betel nut and oranges which puts the farmer in a disadvantageous position. Due to inadequate storage infrastructure, farmers are forced to sell off produce as soon as harvested thus implying that benefits of positive price movements are not reaped by the producers. Moreover, outputs are sold without any supply chain management thus depleting possible benefits from value addition. Hence the general scenario is that there is limited market access and lack of physical and institutional infrastructure.

The policy also aims at promoting transformation of subsistence agriculture to market oriented at the farm level, and for facilitation of market access and participation of small farmers in output markets.

Agriculture (Crop Husbandry):