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State farmers� income growing

By Ajit Patowary

GUWAHATI, Aug 27 � The income of State�s farmers is growing, while the percentage of increase in the number of farmers� holdings is more in comparison to that of their operational area. There is a visible reduction in the operational area of the State�s farmers. Analyses of the official figures connected with these areas provide the above information.

Official figures available with this newspaper say that the annual percentage of growth of per capita income from agriculture at current prices was 5.87 per cent during the Tenth Five Year Plan between 2002-03 and 2006-07 fiscals. This growth rate is projected to go up to 9.77 per cent during the first three years of the Eleventh Five Year Plan, that is between 2007-08 and 2009-10.

It is estimated that the percentage share of agriculture in the State�s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) at current prices was 24.55 in 2004-05, 25.09 in 2005-06 and 24.12 in 2006-07 fiscal. The per capita GSDP of the State was Rs 18,686.00 in 2004-05, while it was Rs 20, 282.00 in 2005-06, and Rs 22, 297.00 in 2006-07, against a population of 281.14 lakh, 285.06 lakh and 288.96 lakh respectively.

Again, the State�s per capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) was Rs 16, 900.00 in 2004-05, Rs 18, 378.00 in 2005-06 and Rs 20, 194.00 in 2006-07 at current prices. In these, the share of agriculture sector was Rs 4, 326.00, Rs 4, 818.00 and Rs 5, 090.00 respectively in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07. Thus the percentage share of agriculture in the State�s NSDP was 25.60, 26.22 and 25.21 in these years respectively.

It is projected that the State�s GSDP would touch Rs 24, 461.00 per head in 2007-08,

Rs 26, 728.00 per head in 2008-09 and Rs 29, 305.00 in 2009-10 at the current prices against the projected population of 292.82 lakh, 296.60 lakh and 300.37 lakh respectively in these three years.

In these years, the projected share of agriculture in the State�s GSDP is 24.61 percent, 24.91 per cent and 24.76 per cent respectively.

Land holding: Scrutiny of the official records reveals that there is 1.09 per cent increase in the number of holding in 2000-01 Agricultural Census over the 1995-96. However, a negative trend of 0.79 per cent has been observed in the 2000-01 Census, in respect of the operated area when compared with the 1995-96 Census data.

In 1995-96, there were 26,82,997 holdings and against it the number of holdings went up to 27,12,137 in 2000-01. But the operated area came down to 31,13,578 hectares in 2000-01 from 31,38,449 hectares in 1995-96. Thus, there is reduction of 24,871 hectares of land in this respect. This perhaps bears significance for a State like Assam, where the economy is pre-dominantly agricultural.

Again, analyzing the area of land occupied by different communities, it has been found that the percentage of increase of area is more in the Scheduled Caste (SC) group (16.11) in 2000-01 Agricultural Census over the 1995-96 Census.

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