The Desert State of India Experiments with New Crop and Fruit Varieties for a Bountiful Harvest Next Season…
Rajasthan— once a dry, barren desert state, blooms with lush green crops today. Being the largest state of India, Rajasthan’s total cultivable area spreads over several acres. Today, Rajasthan is among top 5 producers of garlic, oilseeds, soybean, milk etc. The success story of farming in Rajasthan is not just about growing fruits and crops, but also raising healthy livestock along with it. About 50% of total harvest in Rajasthan results from ‘mixed farming system’— a novel concept that boosts farmer income.
The gratifying achievements of local agriculture have spread far and wide, yet they remain challenged by unsolved issues like extreme climate, barren soil, poor storage conditions and competitive market prices. Regardless of this, the state scripted an outstanding achievement in agriculture production—all thanks to the dedication of native farmers, government subsidy and support from local NGOs and agro-marketing company.
2016-2017 was a year full of greenery, healthy harvest and monetary gains. This season, the hard-working farmers of Rajasthan broke all previous records and achieved new heights in crop production. 6 new records were established and the crop producers vowed to keep up with this accomplishment in future.
Rajasthan Sets New Records in Agriculture, State Crop Production Reaches New Height
- Compared to last five years, the state produced 63.89 LMT (lakh metric tons) of oilseeds, 10% higher than before.
- Fruit and vegetable production increased by 36.24% and 51.81% respectively. In the previous term, the state produced just 8.12 LMT, 20.26 LMT fruits and vegetables respectively.
- The average spice production in last 5 years was just 7.97 LMT. This year, it upped by 78%. The final produce recorded was 14.2 LMT.
- Seeing the skyrocketing prices of onions in state, Rajasthan farmers grew tons of onions on their fields. Needless to say, the onion production was calculated as 14.10 LMT—68% more, as compared to the previous years.
- To our good luck, garlic production escalated by a whopping 250%. Total 8.30 LMT garlic was produced in Rajasthan last year.
- Rajasthan produced 214.33 LMT grains. Last year, the number was 201.27 LMT (6.49% less than before).
So, this is how Rajasthan set new landmarks in agriculture. The farmers look forward to newer prospects in agro-tourism, agro-processing and marketing at the forthcoming global Rajasthan agritech meet to be held in November. GRAM 2017 in Udaipur will hopefully present better opportunities to our farmers.
Stay tuned for more updates!
