• General Scenario and Current Trend : Gujarat has 101 lakh hectare of Net Sown Area and 128 lakh hectare of total cropped area with 8 agro climatic zones. In the state, soil type varies from deep black to sandy and saline soils including medium black poorly drained saline soils. State is having highest area under saline soils and alkaline soil, which is 16.80 lakh ha and 5.41 lakh ha, respectively.

    The annual rainfall ranges from 625mm to more than 1500 mm with an average annual rainfall of 972 mm. 24.94% area falls under arid and 35.56% falls under semi-arid area region. Only 34.4% area is irrigated. A little less than half of Gujarat districts are drought prone.

    Major Kharif crops in the state are cotton, groundnut, sesamum, castor, paddy, bajra, maize, tur, green gram, sugarcane etc. and wheat, rice, maize, mustard, gram, groundnut, bajra etc are major Rabi crops.

    In 2008-09, production of rice was 11.41 lakh ton, wheat 28.97 lakh ton, Bajra 8.84 lakh ton, maize 6.03 lakh ton, cereals 55.25 lakh ton, tur 2.44 lakh ton, gram 2.05 lakh ton, pulses 4.49 lakh ton, oilseeds 38.9 lakh ton, groundnut 26.77 lakh ton, sugarcane 15.04 lakh ton, and cotton 79.62 lakh ton in the state. Productivity of rice during the period was 1656 kg/ha, which is much below the national average of 2100 kg/ha, in wheat 2400 kg/ha, which is closer to the national average of 2700 kg/ha. Productivity of bajra is 1292 kg/ha, maize 1439 kg/ha, cereals 1842 kg/ha, pulses 905 kg/ha, oilseeds 1336 kg/ha, cotton 560 kg/ha and sugarcane 8000 kg/ha which is less than the national average and the potential.

    3.0 lakh ha is under fruit cultivation, 4.11 lakh ha is under vegetable cultivation and 9740 ha is under flower cultivation. 9% of fruit production, 6% of vegetable production, 6% of flower production, 12% of cut flower production of the country comes from the state.

    Agriculture and allied sector contributes about 16% to the GSDP.



  • Strength: The state has 8 agro-climatic zones, with varied soil condition. More than 40 major crops are grown in the state. There is pre-dominance cultivation of non-food, high value crops i.e. cotton, castor, tobacco, cumin, fennel, mango, groundnut, banana etc. It has entrepreneurial farmers and comparatively better developed infrastructure.

  • Limitation: Huge area having alkaline soil and satin soil. The state has 19.8 lakh ha cultivable waste land. Almost 70% of the area is rainfed and drought prone. The average size of land holding has reduced from 4.11 ha in 1970-71 to 2.62 ha in 1995-96 and to 2.33 ha in 2000-01.

  • Public Investment : The state has made welcome intervention through CSS Schemes as well as through satisfactory allocation under agricultural sector from the State Plan in the recent years for increasing production and productivity. In 2005-06 out of Rs.11,000 cr State Plan, agriculture sector investment was Rs.589.38 cr (5.36%), in 2006-07 Rs.715.05 cr. out of Rs.14384.45 cr (4.97%), in 2007-08 Rs.925.91 cr out of Rs.15381.88 cr (6.02%) and in 2008-09 the allocation was Rs.1638.86 cr. (7.80%) out of Rs.21,000 cr. State Plan towards agriculture sector.

    During 2007-08 the state received Rs.13.72 cr under CMM, Rs.10.00 cr under ISOPOM, Rs.57.71 cr under MMA, Rs.7.37 cr under NFSM, Rs.47.61 cr under RKVY, Rs.19.54 cr under NHM and Rs.311 cr under ATMA from GOI.

    During 2008-09, State was provided with Rs.12.83 under CMM, Rs.15.90 cr under ISOPOM, Rs.35.31 cr under NHM, Rs.50.45 cr under MMA, Rs.8.33 cr. under NFSM, Rs.202.55 cr. under RKVY and Rs.3.43 under ATMA by the GOI.

    In last two years of the 11th Plan period, GOI provided more than more than Rs.500.00 cr to the State Government for intervention in Agriculture sector and State Government utilized approximately Rs.2564.77cr for this sector out of its State Plan.












STATE HAS AGREED TO PREPARE TIME BOUND ACTION PLAN FOR THE STRATEGY AND RECOMMENDATION..