AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

CLASSIFICATION OF ACREAGE

The following two tables show classification of acreage and production of some selected commodities in Ratnagiri district during 1938-39 to 1954-55:-

TABLE No. 13.

CLASSIFICATION OF AREA IN RATNAGIRI DISTRICT.

continued..

TABLE No. 14.

PRODUCTION OF SELECTED COMMODITIES IS RATNAGIRI DISTRICT.

(In tons).

It will be seen from table No. 13 that cropped area was almost constant at 7.7 lakh acres between 1938-39 and 1942-43. Thereafter it decreased gradually and was little less than 6 lakh acres between 1945-46 to 1948-49. From 1950-51 onwards, it continued to increase, the highest acreage recorded being 8.8 lakh acres in 1953-54. The acreage under forests continued to be around 12 thousand acres till 1948-49, where after it recorded a substantial increase and was nearly four times the acreage prevalent during the preceding decade. Area irrigated ranged between 14,000 and 18,000 acres between 1938-39 and 1943-44. It suddenly dropped down to about 11,000 acres in the following year and continued to be around 11,000 acres till 1949-50, the lowest acreage recorded being 10,048 in 1947-48. However, from 1950-51 onwards area irrigated represented a significant increase and was over 32,000 acres during 1952-53 to 1954-55, the highest acreage recorded being 33,400 acres in 1953-54. Acreage under cereals and pulses' was about 6.4 lakh acres from 1938-39 to 1942-43. In the following year it decreased by over one lakh acres and thereafter continued to be below five lakh acres till 1948-49. From 1949-50, it represented a gradual increase and was 6,13,300 acres in 1954-55.

Acreage under rice and ragi did not show marked variations during the period under review. The acreage under rice was less than three lakh acres between 1938-39 and 1949-50, where after it increased by few thousand acres and continued to be over three lakh acres up to 1954-55, the maximum acreage recorded being 3,13,000 acres in 1953-54. Acreage under ragi was little below two lakh acres from 1938-39 to 1942-43. In 1943-44 it decreased to 1.5 lakh acres and during the subsequent years it never crossed this mark of 1.5 lakh acres. Acreage under condiments and spices varied between 1,059 (1946-47) and 2,000 acres up to 1949-50. However, in the subsequent years it showed a tremendous increase and was 6,500 acres in 1954-55, being the highest during the period under review. As regards acreage under fruits and vegetables it varied between 10,000 and 13,500 acres from 1938-39 to 1951-52. Thereafter it showed a gradual increase and was over 15,000 acres during the last two years under consideration. As for acreage under sugars it was over 700 acres up to 1942-43, with the exception of 1939-40 when it amounted to 623 acres. Thereafter it showed a gradual tendency to decline and was 400 acres in 1954-55. Acreage under fibres was over 5 thousand acres up to 1943-44 where after it represented a definite, though gradual, tendency to decline and amounted to 1,800 acres in 1954-55. In respect of acreage under oilseeds, it can easily be discerned that it has been around 30 thousand acres during the period under review, except between 1944-45 and 1948-49 when it amounted to about 23,000 acres. Acreage under fodder crops was around one lakh acres up to 1949-50. It showed a gradual increase during the subsequent years, the highest acreage recorded being 2,13,500 acres in 1953-54.

Production of Selected commodities.

Table No. 14 reveals the position as regards production of cereals and pulses, rice and ragi. The production of cereals and pulses was more or less constant and did not show marked variations from the average for the period under review viz. 1.70 lakh tons. The production of rice was little over one lakh tons between 1938-39 and 1942-43 and between 1949-50 and 1954-55; the average for the period being 1.03 lakh tons. It was below one lakh tons during the intervening period (1943-44 to 1948-49); the lowest production recorded being 0.73 lakh tons in 1944-45 as against the highest production of 1.36 lakh tons in 1953-54. The highest production of ragi was recorded in 1938-39 at 49 thousand tons which was higher by 15 thousand tons than the general average for the period viz., 34 thousand tons. It will be seen from the table that the production of ragi did not show variations of a large magnitude from the general average, particularly 1944-45 onwards.

The following table shows the acreage under different crops in 1955-56:-

TABLE No. 15.

ACREAGE UNDER DIFFERENT CROPS (TALUKA-WISE) IN RATNAGIRI DISTRICT DURING 1955-56.

continued..

*No non-edible oil seeds were reported in 1955-56.

Classification of Acreage.

Cereals occupied nearly 66 per cent. of the gross cropped area. In this group, rice is the most important accounting for the highest acreage followed by ragi, kodra, vari and sava. Pulses come next occupying five per cent. of the total cropped area. Horse gram (Kulthi), black gram (udid) and val are the important ones among them. Mug, turi and chavli are minor pulses grown. Among fruits mango and cashew-nut are the dominant crops. Other fruits grown are banana, jack fruit and pineapple. Acreage under sugar-cane and fibres (e.g., jute, sann hemp and ambadi) is negligible. Among oil-seeds (3.5 per cent.) cocoanut is the most important crop followed by sesamum. In the group condiments and spices (one per cent.) only chillies deserve mention. Spicegardens are not observed, presumably due to the lack of evergreen stand of forests in the ghats of this region. Acreage under fodder crops was about 23 per cent. of the gross cropped area. Following is an account of the important crops that are grown in the district.

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