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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.
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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.
- 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..
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