IFPRI - Food Secure Bihar, P K Joshi, IFPRI

Transforming Bihar Agriculture for

Improving Food Security

- Challenges and Opportunities

P K JoshiInternational Food Policy Research Institute

Consultation Workshop on‘A Food Secure Bihar: Challenges and Way Forward’

Supported by SDC for a project on India-Food Security Portal 6 August 2014, Patna, Bihar

International Food Policy Research Institute

Issues covered

1. Identify opportunities for higher,

sustainable and inclusive agricultural

growth

2. Propose interventions for transforming

agriculture and sequence priorities


Key characteristics of Bihar agriculture

Abundant water; abundant sun shine; abundant labour

Concurrent twin problems of drought and flood

High poverty and acute under-nourishment


Smallholder agriculture

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Holdings Area

89.6

53

6.7

19.6

3

18.2

0.7

9.3

<1.0 ha 1-2 ha 2-4 ha >4.0 ha

Tiny size of holding

0.43 ha in 2005/06

0.75 ha in 1995/96

<0.5 ha: 72% holdings

commanding 27% area

0.16 ha of < 0.5 ha


Commands 50% area

Joint holdings (13%)


10 ha>: 40% holdings


How to unleashing opportunities?

4 pronged strategy

Innovations

Institutions

Incentives

Infrastructure

Harness untapped yield reservoir

Leverage power of improved technologies

Utilize fallow lands

Promote agri diversification & agro-processing

High-value & remunerative commodities

Labor absorbing & water efficient commodities


1. Bridge the yield gaps

Rice yield gaps: FLD and sate average (t/ha)

Yield gap: 131-300%

FLD yield: 6.29 t/ha

State avg: 1.55 t/ha

0.5 t/ha in Bhagalpur to 2.9 t/ha in Bhojpur

Rajendra Mahsuri-1; Rajendra Sweta

Swarna-Sub 1 for flood-

prone areas


Yield gaps contt…

Wheat yield gaps

86%: ranging from 70% in zone III to 158% in zone II

Maize yield gaps

Rainy season: 103-141%

Causes of high yield gaps

High uncertainty and yield risks

Non-availability of improved varieties

Low seed replacement rates

Low and imbalance fertilize use


Yield gaps in dairy sectorMilk yield l/animal/year

Items Crossbred Indigenous Buffalo

Experiment station yield

(Maximum)

7275 2768 3200

Attainable yield (Maximum) 3386 1589 2610

Average actual farm Yield 1541 910 1560

Yield gap I 3889 1179 590

Yield gap II 1845 679 1050

Yield gap I % of Experiment

station yield

79 67 51

Yield gap II % of attainable 54 43 40


2. Connect invention to innovation:

potential of hybrid rice

Yield

range, t/ha

Average

yield, t/ha

Districts

< 5.00 4.67 West Singhbhun (4.81); Dumka

(4.29); Chatra (4.92)

5.0 – 6.0 5.75 Ranchi (5.72); Godde (5.64);

Koderne (5.90)

6.0 – 7.0 6.33 Lohardaga (6.03); Shibganj

(6.89); Palamau (6.06)

> 7.00 7.43 Bokaro (7.54); Gharwa (7.06);

Dhanbad (7.98); Pakur (7.07);

East Singhbhum (7.54)


3. Emerging hybrid maize in Bihar

(yields t/ha)

1.7

2.41

2.63

3.18

5.66

6.66

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Rainy

Winter

Local Composite Hybrids


4. Climate smart agriculture: farmers’ preferences

to various technology interventions

Bihar 1. Laser land Levelling

2. Rain water

conservation

3. Systems of Rice

Intensification

4. Green manuring

5. Crop Diversification

6. Crop Insurance


Investment and its impact on crop sector

Item Unit Current 20% Inv % Change

Production m t 10.89 17.11 57.00

Income b Rs 107.00 135.30 26.00

Employment m days 403 435 8.00

Water use 000 m c m 33.45 22.43 -33.00

Income LS b Rs 35.00 53.86 53.00

Emission M t CO2 eq 14.80 13.26 -10.00


5. Harness potential of rice-fallow

Extent of rabi-fallow area

1.2

1.72.2

4.4

9.5

11.6

0

2

4

6

8

10

12R

ice-

fallo

w a

rea, m

ha

Ori

ssa

W B

engal

Bih

ar

MP

4 St

ates

Ind

ia

31

37 37

78

47

38

0

20

40

60

80

Rab

i fa

llo

w a

s o

f

kh

arif

ric

e. %

Ori

ssa

W B

eng

al

Bih

ar

MP

4 St

ates

Ind

ia

18 1015

1938

Orissa W Bengal Bihar MP Other


Constraints to use rice-fallow lands

Abiotic Low residual moisture (91-97%); terminal drought (63-78%)

Crop improvement Lack of short duration pulses and rice varieties (64-97%); pest problems

(30-62%)

Resource constraints Lack of inputs and cash to buy seeds and other inputs (>90%)

Access to information about varieties and management Source of information: 88-97% by NGOs & 14-23% by extension staff

Grazing lands Crop damage due to grazing (almost 100%)

Missing markets High production risk (22-60%) and price risk (18-46%)


6. Agricultural diversification: Share of food

commodities in value of agricultural output, %

1990/

91

2000/

01

2008

/09

Paddy 20 13 11

Wheat 14 11 9

Maize 3 3 2

Pulses 7 3 2

F & Veg 14 36 24

L’stock 30 25 42

Others 12 9 10

Diversification towards

livestock sector

F & V and L’stock shares

66% in VOAO

Declining size of holdings

Rising demands

COMFED (dairy) Membership up

17.282 m in 1999/00

48.96 m in 2010/11

Milk collection up 281.08 th kg/day in 1999/00

608.38 th kg/day in 2006-07


7. Jute and Mesta: promising crops in changing scenario

State-wise cultivated Area (Million Ha) under 'Jute & Mesta' in India during year 2009-10

West Bengal, 0.62, 69%

Bihar, 0.14, 15%

Assam, 0.07, 8%

Others, 0.08, 8%

State-wise Production of Jute & Mesta (Million bales of 180 Kg each)

West Bengal, 9.40, 80%

Bihar, 1.28, 11%

Assam, 0.74, 6%

Others, 0.40, 3%

Area (Million Ha), Production (10 Million bales of 180 Kgs. each) of Jute & Mesta at All-

India level during period 1950-51 to 2009-10

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1950

-51

1952

-53

1954

-55

1956

-57

1958

-59

1960

-61

1962

-63

1964

-65

1966

-67

1968

-69

1970

-71

1972

-73

1974

-75

1976

-77

1978

-79

1980

-81

1982

-83

1984

-85

1986

-87

1988

-89

1990

-91

1992

-93

1994

-95

1996

-97

1998

-99

2000

-01

2002

-03

2004

-05

2006

-07

2008

-09

2010

-11*

Years

Are

a a

nd

Pro

du

cti

on

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Yie

ld

Area (Million) Production (10 Million Bales of 180 kgs. each) Yield (Kg/Ha)

Source: Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 201, Ministry of Agriculture, GoI


Global scenario of Jute Production Production of Jute in the World durign year 2010

Thousand Tonnes %

India 1743.0 57.0

Bangladesh 1200.6 39.3

China 40.0 1.3

Uzbekistan 21.7 0.7

Nepal 21.0 0.7

Others 29.6 1.0

World 3055.9 100.0

ProductionCountry

Production of Jute (Millions Tonnes) in India, Bangladesh and China during period

1961 to 2010

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

1961

1963

1965

1967

1969

1971

1973

1975

1977

1979

1981

1983

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

Years

Pro

duct

ion

(Mill

ion

Tonn

es)

Bangladesh China India

Source: FAOStat


8. Prospects for agro-processing sector

Bihar food market: US$ 9 billion & expected to grow to

US$ 19 billion by 2015 (110% increase)

45% is processed food market

Prospects for cereals, pulses, oilseeds

Rice milling installed capacity is inadequate

Maize processing insignificant

Starch, corn oil, corn flacks, poultry feed

Fruits, vegetables, sugarcane, potato, tobacco, etc

Fruit juice, fruit pulp, squash, pickles, tomato sauces/pulp/paste, jam/jelly, fruit beverages

Makhana processing


Constraints in agro-processing sector

Agro-processing is with the unorganized sector

Absence of pre-processing facilities

Pre-cooling, cooling, grading, sorting, pack houses

High post-harvest losses

Papaya: 30-50%; Banana: 15-25%; Cabbage: 41-44%; Potato, Brinjal, Onion, cauliflower: 33%

Power is a major constraint

II

Interventions for Accelerating

Sustainable Agricultural Production


Needed interventions and way forward

More investment in agriculture

Flood control, irrigation, drainage management; & land development

Drainage canal from north to south

Promote dairy sector (veterinary hospitals & AI facilities)

Develop markets

Agricultural research and extension

Reprioritize research agenda More multi-disciplinary research in farming system mode at sub-

regional level Focus on management of natural resources Priority for rain water management Management practices for alleviating abiotic constraints


Interventions…. Connect invention and innovation

Massive seed production program: Hybrids (maize, vegetables) Saplings of fruit trees Promote climate smart agriculture

Provide incentives to connect farmers with markets Special agriculture zone

Cereals, fruits, vegetables, poultry, fish

Develop markets Enforce regulatory mechanisms for assured prices Attract corporate sector for developing agro-processing

Strengthen institutions Land reforms (consolidation, ownership….) Pro-poor (smallholder agriculture): collective production and

marketing, contract farming, farmers’ cooperatives Strengthen credit, insurance, services, and extension services


Bihar marching for transformation for improving

food security

Thank you

Education

IFPRI - Food Secure Bihar, P K Joshi, IFPRI