West Bengal Agriculture

Overall Rating: star ratingstar ratingstar ratingstar ratingstar rating[5/5]Total Votes [ 15 ]  
Rate this page:
West Bengal agriculture has occupied around 3 percent of India's productive land. More than 8 percent of India's food are being generated by the agricultural sector of West Bengal. Small and marginal farmers rule over the West Bengal agriculture and cultivates more than 68 percent of the total area.

The agriculture in West Bengal is one of the most significant means to earn livelihood especially in the rural sectors. This has been enabled by various schemes of the Green Revolution and the land reforms. West Bengal comprises of 8 percent of India's population and the majority of them are engaged in farming and other agricultural activities. The principal food crop cultivated in West Bengal agriculture is rice. Other food crops of West Bengal include maize, pulses, oil seeds, wheat, barley, potatoes, and vegetables. The most vital cash crop of West Bengal is Tea and it is also exported every year. Darjeeling tea is most well-known all over India. West Bengal agriculture supplies about 66 percent of the jute requirements of India. The soil and heavy rainfall witnessed by India are absolutely perfect for jute cultivation. The two other crops that are cultivated highly in the agricultural sector in West Bengal are tobacco and sugarcane.

The chances of increasing the area of cultivation are so less that the agricultural department of West Bengal decided to increase the fecundity of various crops cultivated over there by using superior quality seeds, fertilizers, various plant protection schemes as well as improved packages of practice. The department of agriculture in West Bengal also decided to distribute extra and vested land area to the actual agricultural laborers with the help of land reforms. This will act an added advantage to the productivity of the crops in West Bengal.

There has been a significant rise in the cropping of West Bengal from 131 percent to 162 percent during the last 2 decades. West Bengal agriculture has been sustaining its consistency in attaining a track record in food grains production. The state also ranks first in producing rice among all other states in India. The agriculture in West Bengal also witnessed a remarkable rise from 0.24 million tones to 0.55 million tones in the last decade in its production of oil seeds. West Bengal agriculture also ranks second in potato production in India as it produces about 28 percent of the total potatoes cultivated in India. Apart from these food crops, West Bengal agriculture produces more than 60 percent of India's raw jute fiber.

West Bengal agriculture has been flourishing heavily and it has become one of the most essential part in West Bengal's economy as it has been fueling it with its high productivity as well as export trade in some sectors.

Last Updated on 07th Jully 2011