AGRICULTURE
✓Agriculture is the main occupation of the people of Himachal Pradesh.
✓It has an important place in the economy of the state.
✓ It provides direct employement to 69% of the total workers of the state.
✓About 10% of the total GSDP comes from agriculture and its allied sectors.
✓Out of the total geographical area of 55.67 Lakh Hectares, the area of operational holdings is about 9.55 lakh hactares and is operated by 9.61 lakh farmers.
✓The average holding size comes to 1.00 hectare.
✓About 11% of the total geographical area of Himachal Pradesh is cultivable as against 55% for the entire country.
✓80% of the total cultivated area in the state is rainfed.
✓Rice, wheet and maize are the important cereal crops of the state.
✓Groundnut, Soyabeen and sunflower in Kharif and Rapeseed/musterd and toria are important oil seed crops in Rabi season.
✓Urad,bean, moong, rajmah in Kharif season and gram, lentil in Rabi season are the important pulse crops of the state.
✓Agro-climatically the state can be divided into four zones viz.:-
1. Shiwalik Hill Zone (Sub Tropical Mountain and Low Hills):
✓Comprising of upland of part of Chamba, Kangra, Hamirpur,Solan, Sirmour and Bilaspur districts.
✓Climate Sub -Tropical consists of foothills and valley area having elevation from 350m to 650 m above sea level.
✓ The major crops grown in this
zone are:
a) Wheat
b) Maize
c) Paddy
d) Black Gram
e) Sugarcane
f) Mustard
g) Potato
h) Vegetables
i) Pulses
j) Barley.
2. Mid Hill Zone (Sub-Humid Mid- Hills):
✓Comprising of part of Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Solan, Shimla and Sirmour District.
✓This zone extends from 651m to 1800m above the sea level having mild temperature climate.
✓The major crops are:
a) Wheat
b) Maize
c) Paddy
d) Black Gram
e) Barley
f) Beans
g) Pulses
h) Forages
✓This zone has very good potential for the cultivation of cash crops like off season vegetables, ginger and production of quality seeds of temperate vegetables like cauliflower and root crops.
3. High Hill Zone (Wet Temprature High Hills):
✓Comprising of parts of Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Sirmour districts and inner most of Shimla and Kullu districts.
✓This zone lies from 1801m to 2200m above sea level with humid temperature climate and alpine pastures.
✓The commonly grown crops are:
a) Wheat
b) Barley
c) lesser Millets
d) Pseudo-Cereals (Buckwheat and Amaranthus)
e) Maize
f) Rice
g)Patato
✓The area is ideally suited to the production of quality seed patato and temperate vegetables.
4. Cold Dry Zone (Dry Temperate High Hills):
✓Comprising of major parts of Chamba and Kinnaur, entire Lahaul Spiti and northern parts of Kullu district.
✓This zone lies above 2200 m above sea level.
✓The major crops grown are:
a) Wheat
b) Barley
c) Rajmash
d) Pseudo cereals like Buckwheat, Amaranthus.
✓It is ideally suited to the production of quality seed potato, temperate and European type of vegetables and their seeds, seed potato and peas seed.
✓The agroclimatic condition in the state are congenial for the production of cash crops like off season vegetables, potato and ginger.
✓During the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) emphasis has been laid on the production of off season vegetables, potato, pulses, and oil seeds besides cereal crops through timely and adequate supply of inputs, bringing more area under irrigation, approach of watershed development, demonstration and effective dissemination of improved farm technology etc.
✓In the year 2018-19 the foodgrains production was 15.81 lakh MT during 2017-18 increased to 16.92 lakh MT during 2018-19 and its targeted at 16.36 lakh MT in in 2019-20
✓The fruit production decreased to 24.95 lakh MT in 2018-19 as against 5.65 lakh MT in 2017-18, showing decrease of 12% in 2018-19.
✓the fruit production during 2019-20 (up to December 2019) is almost double at 7.07 lakh MT.
✓Growing of of seasonal vegetables have also picked up in the state.
✓During 2018-19, 17.22 lakh tonnes of vegetables were produced against 16.92 lakh tonnes in 2017-18 recorded a growth of 1.8 %.
✓It is anticipated that the production of vegetable will be about 16.56 lakh tonnes in 2019-20.