Agriculture of Jammu and Kashmir

Agriculture of Jammu and Kashmir

• Livelihood of the majority of the population of the Jammu & Kashmir State revolves around the agriculture and allied sectors.
• These sectors constitute the mainstay of the State’s economy and contribute nearly 50 per cent to GSDP.
• Over 70 per cent of the population, of more than 1.25 crores depends, directly or indirectly, on agriculture and its allied sectors.
• The diversification in the physiographic features and agro-climatic variation at macro- and micro-level, involving cold arid, temperate, intermediate and sub-tropical zones, within a small geographical area of 2.22 lakh sq. km indicates the inherent agricultural potential of the State.
• The net sown area (NSA) of 7.35 lakh ha (2009-10) is 35 per cent of the reported area as against the national average of 46 per cent.
• About 70 per cent of the net sown area is under the food crops.
• The average size of holding is very small (0.545 ha/holding) as compared to 1.66 ha at the national level with more than 93% of owners of these farm holdings subsisting on agriculture and allied activities.
• Over the years, agriculturists and farmers have adopted several area- specific and timespecific cultivation practices to meet the requirement of their staple food crops.
• Rice, maize, wheat, pulses, fodder, oilseeds, potato and barley are the main crops of the State.
• There is currently a shift towards cultivating low- volume high-value cash crops, such as, flowers, vegetables, quality seeds, aromatic & medicinal plants, mushrooms etc. round the year. Honey, Beekeeping, fodder intensification, production of quality saffron, ‘Basmati’ rice, ‘Rajmash’, offseason vegetables, potatoes etc. are also being cultivated in specific areas, belts and clusters depending upon the agro-climatic suitability.

Agriculture of Jammu and Kashmir faces several challenges that, primarily, include the following:-

• Agriculture in the hills and mountains of the State suffers from inherent constraints of remoteness and inaccessibility, marginality and fragility in terms of moisture stress and poor soil conditions and a short growing season. Added to this, are socioeconomic constraints that, primarily, includes small land holdings, poor productivity, poor production management, labour shortages, poor post-harvest management, poor market networks (lack of market development) and lack of entrepreneurship. All these factors have led to under utilization of available resource base leading to limited generation of surpluses.
• Arable lands are about 18% of the total geographical area, whereas the net sown area is only about 7%. More than half of the cultivable area is un- irrigated.
• Though area, production and productivity of different crops have increased over time, the rate of development has been very slow. The cropping intensity in Jammu region is reported to be 176%, whereas Kashmir and Ladakh regions closely follow with the levels of 123% and 106% respectively. In Kashmir and Ladakh regions, high cropping intensity is typically constrained by the incidence of moisture stress at the sowing time in October November, inundation of fields in low lying areas after winter, harsh winters and short growing season.
• Hilly and inaccessible terrain in the State constrains the introduction of mechanized farming and hassle free transportation of inputs and products. Besides, being prone to soil erosion due to fragile soil, the hilly areas are also not amenable to multiple cropping, thus, impeding the uptick in the production and productivity in these areas.
• The spurt in the agricultural growth, in its wake, has brought about degradation of natural resources, particularly land, water and biodiversity. Erosion of genetic diversity has also resulted from the advent of HYVs in different crops. Many crops, which in this region enjoyed a niche, are no more in the production chain.
• Agriculture, overtime, has also become relatively less remunerative profession due to low yields, despite consistent accretion in the usage of a range of inputs, unfavourable price regime and low value addition.
• Capital inadequacy, lack of adequate infrastructural support and agriculture being carried out as a subsistence option of livelihood have also influenced the economic viability of the agriculture sector resulting in new generation of farm youth shying away from agriculture and looking for urban centric vocations.

Statistics of Agriculture of Jammu and Kashmir

• The state of J&K is predominantly a mono cropped and rain fed with about 40% of the area in Jammu division and 60% in Kashmir Division having assured means of irrigation.
• Irrigation is crucial input for development of Agriculture of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The major area in the state falls under the command of canal irrigation.
• Rice, Maize and Wheat are the major crops in the state.
• While in Kashmir region Wheat, Oil Seeds and Fodder is being introduced as the secondary crop.
• In Jammu farmers are raising paddy as an additional crop.
• The production level of paddy adds about 40 quintals per hectare in Kashmir Valley and is highest in the country.

Agriculture and Crops of Agriculture of Jammu and Kashmir

Agriculture

• Agriculture is the most important industry of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Even those engaged in other industries depend on agriculture for raw material.
• About 80% people in the State are cultivators in one form or the other.
• The total area of the State according to the 1992 record of India is 24.15 lakh hecteres. Out of this area 138,6867 Sq. Kms. are rural and only 305.4 Sq. Kms.are urban.
• This signifies that the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir is rural with 6503 villages.
• Out of the total area of 24.15 lakh hect. agricultural statistics are available only for about 8.26 lakh hect. The rest of the area is under forests and mountains.

Scope of land cultivation in the State

Rice

• Cultivation of rice requires hot and moist climate.
• It is a Kharief crop and is sown in March-April and harvested in Autumn.
• Sufficient water must cover the fields.
• It is grown mostly in the valley of Kashmir at 2100 metres above sea level.
• Total area under rice cultivation in the valley of Kashmir is 374000 acres having a yield of 25.5 quintals per acre.

Wheat

• It is a rabi crop and its plant requires a cool and somewhat moist climate in the beginning and warm and dry weather at the harvest time.
• The average rainfall should be between 50 to 70 cms. and that too at intervals.
• It is sown in August and harvested in March, April.
• It is cultivated in the entire Outer Plain and the Outer Hills.
• Important wheat producing areas are Kathua, Ranbirsingpora, Samba and Reasi.
• In Kashmir, wheat is grown like grass.
• Total area under wheat cultivation in Jammu region is 3 l000 acres, in Kashmir 78000 acres and in Ladakh 7000 acres.

Maize

• It requires hot dry climate.
• Rainfall required for maize varies from 75 cms to 125 cms.
• It is sown in May-July and harvested in August-November.
• It is cultivated on Karewa lands in the valley of Kashmir on about 303,000 acres.

Tobacoo

It requires a warm and moist climate and a rich soil containing lime. Frost kills it. It is largely grown in the valley of Kashmir.

Oil- seed

• Rape Seed, Mustard, linseed, sesamum, toria, cottonseed are the chief varieties of oil-seeds.
• They require hot and moist climate.
• They are grown all over Kshmir province but the chief oil seed producing areas are Anantnag & Srinagar.
• 6700 acres in Kashmir region produce oil seeds.

Pulses

• Hot and dry climate suit their cultivation.
• They are largely grown on small patches of land and the pulses of Kashmir Valley are well known for their quality.

Saffron

• Saffron is a cash crop and cultivated on the Pampore in the month of July-August Karewas in specially made square beds.
• Each bed measures l.5m and is provided with narrow trench on all sides to prevent the accumulation of water.
• The soil is alluvial and lucstrine.
• About 3000 acres are under saffron cultivation in Pampore.

Amarnath (Ganhar)

• Amarnath (Ganhar) is sown after 3 or 4 ploughings.
• The grain when ready is parched, ground and eaten with milk.
• It is largely sown in the valley of Kashmir.

Fruits

• Apples, pears, cherries, plums, grapes, pomegranates, mulberry, peaches, apricots, walnuts and almonds require a cool climate moderate rainfall and bright sunshine.
• The climate of Kashmir suits their cultivation.
• They are, as such, mostly grown in the valley.
• Fruit cultivation has been known in Kashmir since very early times.
• In recent years fruit cultivation has extended with readily available facilities of better seed, nursery culture, insecticides and very cheap and better transport facilities for their export.
• Fruit cultivation at present is an important source of wealth to the State.
• About 3.50 lakh tons of fruits are produced annually, out of which more than 2.00 lakh tons are exported to the foreign countries.
• Supply of machinery, equipment and technical advice to the orchardists by the State Govt. free of charge has greatly helped fruit cultivation.
• The training of gardeners and the establishment of a fruit research centre is no doubt helping the fruit industry a lot.

Vegetables

The valley of Kashmir is also known for the cultivation of potatoes, turnips, carrots, spinach, tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflowers, raddish, onions, lotus-stalk, brinjal, gourd and bitter gourd etc.

Other Agricultural Activities of Agriculture of Jammu and Kashmir

1. Silk –

• It is obtained from silk worms which feed on mulberry trees.
• These trees require a warm and moist climate. Silk cocoons are, therefore, grown in abundance in the valley of Kashmir Two silk factories, one in Jammu and the other in Srinagar, manufacture silkyarn from these cocoons.

2. Wool –

• It is obtained from sheep and in the State they are mostly reared in the valley of Kashmir on the grassy meadows.
• Quality sheep from Australia have been imported for sheep breeding in Kashmir.