ECONOMIC TRENDS

AGRARIAN ECONOMY

With 76.13 per cent of the total population of the district resid-ing in rural areas agriculture is the main pursuit of the people of the district. The percentage of the working population engaged in cultivation and agricultural labour is still higher as it stands at 85.32 per cent in 1971. This shows lack of opportunity of alternative employment in industry in the district. The most striking feature is that the proportion of agricultural labourers in the district, viz. 51.72 per cent is considerably higher than that of State average viz., 29.33 per cent. Even the proporations of workrs engaged in trade and commerce and other services are signifi-cantly of lower order. Naturally the study of economic prospects of this district amounts to the study of its agro-economic structure.

The basic factors such as types and formation of soils, land utilisation, important crops grown, irrigational facilities, manures, soil conservation, livestock, improved techniques, financial assis-tance and the agrarian structure and reforms which together con-tribute to the agricultural development play a pivotal role in the agrarian economy.

The richest soil of the district locally known as bharkali is found in the valley of the Purna. The soils on the southern plateau are medium deep and contain fair amount of lime, those on the higher elevation are reddish brown and shallow with murum layer below and on still higher elevations coarse soils local-ly known as barad or murmad are also found. Though from the changes in the classification of land utilisation and in the district boundaries it is not possible to determine if there has been any shift in the pattern of land utilisation over about 50 years the situation of land utilisation as it stood at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of 20th century and that which existed in 1964-65 could be broadly considered. The net cropped area in 1894-95 was 16,41,487 acres which decreased to 15,52,490 acres in 1907-08. In 1906-07 the cropped area was 16,59,352, the highest figure reached since 1892-93. The decline in the cropped area was due to the famine years. In 1964-65 the net area sown was 16,97,318 acres. However, in 1959-60 the net sown was 17,11,098 acres, and it might be taken as the highest figure till now. Of the total area occupied for cultivation a total of 3,01,935 acres were under fallows in 1894-95 and the same increased to 3,88,122 acres in 1907-08. According to the new classification of land utilization the land under fallows is divided into current and other fallows. Thus in 1964-65 land under current fallows was 20,189 and that under other fallows was 86,982 acres. The land under forests in 1964-65 was 3,00,472 acres which has remained more or less con-stant since 1956-57. It can thus be seen that there is some scope to increase the acreage under cultivation in the district. The only major factor which will contribute to the increase is contraction of the forests. But this will result in a serious loss of forests, less rainfall and soil erosion. The area under cultiva-tion can also be increased by reducing the fallow land. But in this case also there is some limit to the adoption of this process. In the circumstances the only course left is to follow an intensive approach to the agrarian economy of the district. It is with this intention that the present agricultural development programme is being executed through the agencies like grampanchayats, pan-chayat samitis and the zilla parishad. Its main object is to change the attitude of the cultivators who have been traditional in their ways and to make them aware of the improved techniques in agri-culture and thereby to increase the agricultural output. The draft of the Second Five Year Plan of Buldhana district rightly stresses. 'The potentialities of agricultural development lie mainly in getting increased production from lands already under cultiva-tion. This can be done by intensive research in evolving high yielding strains, increase of minor irrigation facilities including wells, soil and soil moisture conservation, adoption of improved methods of cultivation, and increased use of improved seeds, judicious use of manures and fertilizers and adequate precaution against pests and diseases.' These various aspects of intensive cultivation have already been in operation in the district, a few important among which are described in the following paragraphs.

Improved Seeds.-Use of appropriate strains of crops suitable for the tract is one of the important measures that enhance the agricultural production. The Agricultural Research Station at Buldhana, established in 1928 has been rendering extremely use-ful service in this behalf. Research is made here on cotton as principal crop and chillis, groundnut and sugarcane as subsidiary crops. Besides improved varieties of crops evolved at various other research stations the hybrid seeds are also recommended. Thus for kharif jowar N.J. 156, N.J. 165: for wheat Hy. 65-4; for groundnut A. K. 12-24: for cotton A. K. 277, Buri L. 147, Buri-O 394 and for gram D-28 and chafa are recommended by the agriculture department. The nine seed farms established in the district multiply the improved strains and provide them to farmers. The following statement gives distribution [These figures have been taken from the annual progress reports published by the Buldhana Zilla Parishad.] of improved seeds from 1962-63 to 1965-66.

Irrigation.- If improved seeds help in increasing the outturn of irrigated crops, other things being equal irrigation provides assur-ance to the yield. It also increases the agricultural output to a very great extent. Irrigation in the district depends mostly on irrigation wells which numbered 14,151 in 1964-65. The area irrigated under these wells was 30,173 acres. Agriculturists now-a-days have developed a liking for oil-engines to lift water from the wells. In 1964-65 such oil-engines numbered 1108. However, irrigation works including small, medium and major are making a headway especially after having launched the Five Year Plans, At present 16 medium irrigation works including the major pro-ject of Nalganga have been completed in the district. The irri-gational potential under these works is 31,817 acres. Two medium irrigation works with an irrigation potential of 10,920 acres are in progress. Besides, small irrigation works which are entrusted with the Zilla Panshad, each irrigating 220 acres and below there are 18 with an irrigational potential of 2,560 acres. There is thus scope to have more small irrigational works in the district and if the scheme like vasant bandhara is implemented with proper and prompt surveys it would augment the agricultural output. More-over such a scheme would bring under its fold a large number of small agriculturists.

Fertilizers.-Amongst others, improved seeds and fertilizers are the outcome of the agricultural researches which are now-a-days conditioned by the great demand for agricultural output. Fertili-zers also have an equal importance in the agricultural development programme. It is the periodical application of fertilizers and manures which maintains the fertility of the soil. Now the pivo-tal importance of manures and fertilizers is an accepted fact and the problem has to be tackled both on the executive and educative sides. The proper and timely distribution of sufficient amount of fertilizers are factors of prime importance. For this the distribu-tive agencies should be very prompt and alert. The details regarding the sale of fertilizers, storage, etc., should be well plan-ned and thought over. Again gaining of confidence of the large mass of small cultivators to make use of the fertilizers is very important. Herein lies the importance of providing training and making propaganda amongst the cultivators. The panchayat samitis and the zilla parishad organise village leaders' training camps and study tours of farmers. The use of fertilizers and the method of cultivating the improved seeds are also demonstrated. The following statement gives distribution [The figures have been taken from the annual progress reports of the Buldhana Zilla Parishad.] of fertilizers in the district from 1962-63 to 1965 66:-

(figures in tons)

Prospective Crops.-A judicious combination of the above described aspects of agricultural development will go a long way in increasing the outturn of both food and non-food crops. From the view point of economic prosperity as conditioned by agriculture in the district it is necessary to consider the prospects of such cash crops as groundnut, cotton, sugarcane, etc.

Groundnut: The cultivation of this oil-crop has been slowly increasing since 1910. The old Gazetteer of the district does not describe it as an important crop and refers to it under the general term as other crops. It was then raised as a garden crop on morandi soil. The varieties then grown included the local and khandeshi. If the period from 1956-57 to 1964-65 is taken into account it will be seen that a large acreage has been brought under this crop. In 1962-63 the total acreage under this crop was 91,190 acres-being the highest during the period. The outturn of this crop, however, was 22,563 tons in that year. The same was 24,125 tons in 1961-62. This might be because of vagaries of nature upon which the whole agricultural structure depends. The crop is commercially important as it gives both oil and cattle-feed. The prerequisites to raise this crop do exist in the district. Only the large class of cultivators will have to be guided in a proper perspective.

Cotton: Cotton is by far the most important cash crop of the district. It was so even before 60 years. In 1907-08 the area under this crop was 6,61,637 or 43 per cent of the cropped area of the dis-trict and according to the old Gazetteer this area had possibly al-most reached its maximum. The average percentage for three years from 1957-58 to 1959-60 shows that cotton occupied 36.63 per cent of the gross cropped area. This might he due to the corres-ponding increase in the total gross cropped area. In 1964-65 the area under cotton was 6,69,341 acres. This may be taken as the highest possible acreage under the crop. However, there can be two alternatives to increase the production of the crop. One is to grow cotton on light inferior soils and secondly, to evolve improv-ed varieties of the crop. For raising the crop on inferior soils more irrigational and other facilities will be required. Formerly the varieties like jari (kati Vilayati), bani (Hinganghat or Ghat kapas) and upland Georgian were grown. The buri, an American upland variety of cotton was then newly introduced in the district. At present the improved varieties like A. K. 277; Buri L. 147, Buri-O. 394 are recommended by the agriculture departmnet.

Sugarcane: This is also another equally important cash crop. In 1907-08 it covered an area of 1,074 acres. It is chiefly grown as a garden crop. Since 1956-57 the area under this crop has been slowly increasing. In 1956-57 sugarcane was grown over an area of 1,585 acres while in 1964-65 it increased to 3,470 acre's. With the increased irrigational facilities it is likely that more area will be brought under the crop.

Agricultural Marketing.- The draft of the Second Five-Year Plan of the district has rightly observed when it says as follows:

'Development of regulated markets, organisation of co-operative marketing of purchase and sale unions and provision of a net-work of warehousing facilities are important parts of the integrated programme of improving agricultural economy'. Mere increase in agricultural production without its corresponding reward to the cultivator in the form of better prices through an organised market will curb the incentive to an enlightened farmer. In the past the illiterate agriculturists who did not know market conditions and price fluctuations in such markets, were placed at the mercy of moneylenders and middlemen who used to adopt mal-practices. Whatever surplus an agriculturist produced was sold either in the weekly markets or the itinerant buyers who then used to go round the villages bought the agricultural produce to be sold at good prices in the distant markets. The other aspect of the pro-blem was that the majority of the cultivators who were already burdened with debt were compelled to sell a large portion of the total crop or sometimes the entire crop to the moneylenders who used to give loans to cultivators and to recover the same at exorbitant rates of interest.

The state of affairs which then pervaded all over the country attracted the attention of the rulers and the result was the appointment of various enquiry committees, such as the Banking Enquiry Committee, the Provincial Banking Committee, Bombay Banking Enquiry Committee, etc. Besides, a Rural Credit Survey was also conducted. All such enquiries ultimately led to the passing of various enactments which gave importance to the questions connected with transport facilities, marketing organisations, etc., which in turn helped to improve the financial condition of the agriculturists. The first such step was taken when the Central Provinces and Berar Cotton Markets Act of 1932 was passed. This enactment sought to regulate the trade in cotton, and was subsequently amended in 1937. The marketing of foodgrains wa9 regulated under the Central Provinces and Berar Agricultural Produce Markets Act of 1935. These enactments were followed by the Madhya Pradesh Agricultural Produce Markets (Amend-ment) Act in 1954. After the merger of Vidarbha region, the Maharashtra Government decided to have a unified enactment for the various regions in the State, and passed the Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act in 1963. [For details see Banking, Trade and Commerce, Regulated Markets.]

There are eight wholesale trade centres which are regulated under the above referred Acts as far as collection and export of agricultural produce are concerned. They are: (1) Mehkar, (2) Nandura, (3) Malkapur, (4) Chikhli, (5) Shegaon, (6) Jalgaon, (7) Deulgaon Raja, and (8) Khamgaon. The commodities regula-ed at these centres are cotton and other agricultural produce. The cotton market at Khamgaon ranks second in the State. In order to prevent distress sale of agricultural produce, nine godowns have been constructed by the State Warehousing Corporation in the district. These storage facilities are further supplemented by the large size godowns at Khamgaon and Malkapur belonging to the State Warehousing Corporation. The warehouses are very much in the interest of the agriculturists. They also saved the agriculturists from the clutches of the excessive number of middlemen who intervened between the cultivators and the final disposer of the crop and thereby avoiding the incidental loss that the agriculturists had to incur. One more thing may be noted and that is regarding the monopoly procurement of jowar by the Government which has been introduced in the district since 1964. Under this system Government purchases the commodity at a predetermined price.

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