'Foodgrain availability lowest in past two decades'
The availability of foodgrains including cereals and pulses has fallen to the lowest level in the past two decades, reflecting the slow growth in the country's agriculture sector.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: The availability of foodgrains including cereals and pulses has fallen to the lowest level in the past two decades, reflecting the slow growth in the country's agriculture sector.
According to a presentation made by Planning Commission to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, per capita availability of foodgrains fell from 190 kg per year during 1976-80 to a low of 186 kg during 2004-07.
India's population in the same period has increased nearly 60 per cent to more than 1.1 billion in 2007 compared to 1981 census figures of 684 million.
In view of the grave foodgrain availability scenario, the Commission underlined the need for taking urgent steps to reverse the declining trend in growth of agriculture and raise the output by at least 4 per cent during the 11th Plan period.
The per capita availability of cereals declined from 179 kg per year during 1981-85 to 174 kg during 2004-07. The availability of pulses too declined from 19 kg per person to 12 kg per persons during the same period.
Agriculture growth rate in major food producing states like Punjab and Haryana has decelerated from more than 4 per cent between 1984-1996 to around 2 per cent between 1995-2005.
The foodgrain productivity at an all-India level dropped from 3.62 per cent to 1.85 per cent during the same period.
The plan panel analysis revealed farm output in Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala decreased by 1.36, 0.23 and 3.54 per cent respectively during the decade ending 2004-05.
Agriculture growth rate was less than one per cent in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Orissa, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Assam during 1995-2005.
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