Andhra Pradesh rides the wave, leads India's fishing and aquaculture sector with 41% share

Andhra Pradesh has emerged as the leader in India's fishing and aquaculture sector, accounting for 40.9% of the total share. This is followed by West Bengal, Odisha, and Bihar. A recent report by the statistics office on the value of output from agriculture and allied sectors revealed that West Bengal's share in national output has decreased from 24.6% in 2011-12 to 14.4% in 2022-23, while Odisha and Bihar have increased their shares.

Steady Growth in Fisheries and Livestock

The fishing and aquaculture sub-sector has seen significant growth, with output increasing from about Rs 80,000 crore in 2011-12 to approximately Rs 1,95,000 crore in 2022-23. This includes the entire output of marine fishing and prawn production. The livestock sub-sector has also grown steadily over this period, with increases in the production of milk, meat, and eggs. In 2022-23, the share of milk in livestock output was 66.5%, meat was 23.6%, and eggs were 3.7%, compared to 67.2%, 19.7%, and 3.4% respectively in 2011-12.

Regional Contributions to Livestock and Sugar Crops

Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan together accounted for about a quarter of the livestock sub-sector's output, with Tamil Nadu showing rapid growth during this period. Uttar Pradesh had nearly 41% of the output of the sugar group in 2011-12, which increased to more than half of the total Indian output of sugar crops in 2022-23. Maharashtra was a distant second with 19%, followed by Karnataka (8.9%), Tamil Nadu (3.9%), and Bihar (3.3%). Other states accounted for the remaining 11.4%.

Bananas and Mangoes Lead Fruit Production

In the fruit sector, bananas overtook mangoes in terms of value of output in 2022-23, with bananas holding a 10.9% share and mangoes at 10%. Together, they accounted for more than one-fifth of the total fruit output. Among vegetables, potatoes and onions contributed the highest production, accounting for about 15% of the total output in the group. Floriculture contributed about 7%.

Economic Contribution of Agriculture

The agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors accounted for 18.2% of the gross value added (GVA) at current prices in 2022-23, a key indicator of economic performance. After reaching 20.4% in 2020-21, it decreased to 18.9% in 2021-22.

India's Global Agricultural Standing

India ranks second worldwide in arable land (155.37 million hectares), third in cereal production, and second in the production of groundnut, fruits, vegetables, sugarcane, tea, and jute. The country has the largest herds of buffalo and goat, the second largest in cattle and sheep, and the seventh largest chicken population globally. India is the largest producer of milk, the second-largest in egg production, and fifth in meat production as per the latest available information from 2020.

(With inputs from TOI)