A STUDY ON AGRICULTURE OF DAKSHIN DINAJPUR ...

[VOLUME 5 I ISSUE 3 I JULY – SEPT 2018] e ISSN 2348 –1269, Print ISSN 2349-5138

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Research Paper IJRAR- International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews 793𝗒

A STUDY ON AGRICULTURE OF DAKSHIN DINAJPUR DISTRICT, WEST BENGAL

SUBHAM DEY SARKAR

M.A. 1st Class 1st from Department of Geography & Applied Geography (2017) University of North Bengal.

Received: June 03, 2018 Accepted: July 24, 2018

ABSTRACT Agriculture is an important economic activity of India especially rural India. DakshinDinajpur district of West Bengal has no industries to support its economy. So, agriculture is even more valuable here. Agriculture depends on land condition, soil characteristics, climate and irrigation along with infrastructural facilities and efficiency of farmers. The characteristics of these parameters of DakshinDinajpur are analysed. These factors control the crop patterns of different blocks of the district. The major crops are paddy, mustard, potato, wheat, jute etc. Poverty, fragmented lands, lack of land under irrigation facilities, transportation and storage facilities are the major problems of agriculture here. By solving these problems the farmers along with the whole district can progress to a greater height.

Keywords: Marginal farmer, Infrastructure, Irrigation

Introduction-

The art of cultivating soil, growing and harvesting of crops and raising of livestock is known as agriculture. In Indian economy, Agriculture holds an important position. According to census of India 2011, agriculture sector employs largest numbers of main workers in the country. Agriculture contributes greatly to overall economic growth of India. It also has impact in the standard of living of rural population of India.

Agriculture is a major economic activity of West Bengal.DakshinDinajpur is a district of West Bengal, which is economically backward. There is no industry in this district. Thus emphasis should be given on agriculture so that it can bring the district in better position. There is lot of potential in this small districtto improve its major economic activity, i.e. agriculture. Objectives of the study:- The objectives of the study are-

I. What are the characteristicsof agriculture of DakshinDinajpur district and factors which play a key role in it?

II. What are the major crops of this district? III. What are the problems associated with agriculture in this district? IV. How the agricultural problems of DakshinDinajpur can be solved?

Methodology of the study:-

The study based on both primary and secondary data. Primary survey by observation and interview method is conducted to know about the situations the cultivators are in and their major problems. Data is also collected from secondary sources. All the data have been arranged systemically by statistical techniques.At the end results were calculated, analysed and interpreted. Study Area:-

West Dinajpur district was formed after the partition in 1947. In 1992, it was divided into two districts, namely, DakshinDinajpur and Uttar Dinajpur.DakshinDinajpur is located approximately in between 26ᵒ35’15’’N-25ᵒ10’55’’N latitude and 87ᵒ48’37’’E-89ᵒ00’30’’E longitude. It comprises of two sub-divisions- Balurghat and Gangarampur and eight blocks- Balurghat, Hili, Kumarganj, Tapan, Gangarampur, Kushmandi, Banshihari and Harirampur.

[ VOLUME 5 I ISSUE 3 I JULY– SEPT 2018] E ISSN 2348 –1269, PRINT ISSN 2349-5138

794𝗒 IJRAR- International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews Research Paper

Fig 1.A: Location map of DakshinDinajpur District, West Bengal

Characteristic features of Agriculture of Dakshin Dinajpur district:- The agricultural pattern of any region depends on its geographical conditions like rainfall,

temperature, humidity, soil, land etc.Infrastructural factors and technological factors also play a key role. These factors individually or collectively have their impact on agricultural development. In India, agriculture is labour intensive. Thus yields of crops in a region to some extent controlled by competency of the farmers and agricultural labourers. The agriculture of Dakshin Dinajpur has its own characteristics. Some important characteristics have been described in the following section:-

Land Situation of Dakshin Dinajpur district- Land is considered as the most important aspect of agricultural production. The nature of land strictly affects agricultural advancements of a region.

In DakshinDinajpur district, 35,565 hectare are high land, 80,260 hectare are medium land and 59,795 hectare are low land. In this district most of the high lands are under Tapan block. The medium lands are highest in Balurghat block. The low lands are mostly found in Gangarampur block followed by Kushmandi. The amount of low lands in Balurghat sub-division is significantly less than Gangarampur sub-division. The major flood prone area of this district is Gangarampur & Tapan block.

TABLE 1.1: BLOCK-WISE LAND SITUATION OF DAKSHIN DINAJPUR

Name of Block High land

(ha) Medium

land (ha) Low land

(ha) Total

land (ha)

Special Area

Drought Prone (ha)

Flood Prone (ha)

Kushmandi 1000 11490 12140 24630 0 0

Harirampur & Banshihari

2050 15390 12070 29510 0 0

Gangarampur 2020 6970 16250 25240 0 1200

Kumarganj 1850 9620 11880 23350 0 0

Tapan 25690 5510 4090 35290 0 800

Balurghat 2050 25770 2280 30100 0 0

Hili 905 5510 1085 7500 0 0

Total District 35565 80260 59795 175620 0 2000

Source: www.ddinajpur.nic.in

Based on altitude,DakshinDinajpur district can be classified into following 6 types- i. Medium to up land-In this type of land jute and wheat are mostly cultivated along with mesta and

mustard. Numerous fishery, livestock and poultry farm are found in this area. ii. Medium to low land- Paddy is the predominant crop of this type of land. Significant proportion of

this type of land is marked as a fallow land. This area is also known for its fishery. iii. Medium land- The main crops of this type of land are jute, rice and vegetable. This area is of great

importance for potato cultivation. Fisheries are also developed in this area.

http://www.ddinajpur.nic.in/




iv. Up land-This type of land is only used for commercial cultivation different types of vegetables. Other important land-uses are fishery, livestock and poultry farming.

v. Low land- Paddy cultivation is mostly concentrated here because waterlogging is required forthe growth of paddy saplings. Much of this land belongs to fallow land. Fisheries are also quite important.

vi. Riverbed- In riverbed areas, cucurbits are commercially cultivated in large amounts. Soil Condition of Dakshin Dinajpur district-Soil is another important factor for agriculture. The

predominant soil group of Dakshin Dinajpur district is old alluvium type. Soils of this old alluvial zone are light, medium & heavy textured and low in organic matter, N, P, K & micro nutrient.Laterite is predominant only in Tapan block, i.e. 75% of total cultivated area of Tapan block. Except Tapan block, 70% to 80% of total cultivated area of other blocks is under old alluvium type. In 20% to 30% of total cultivated area of all blocks is under new alluvium type.

TABLE 1.2: BLOCK-WISE SOIL TYPES OF DAKSHIN DINAJPUR

Name of Block Sandy (ha) Sandy loam (ha) Loam (ha) Clay loam

(ha) Clay (ha)

Kushmandi _ 540 2060 14190 7840

Harirampur & Banshihari _ 550 550 22590 5820

Gangarampur 1570 3040 3040 3040 14550

Kumarganj 1270 3870 3860 3860 10490

Tapan 21940 4950 1100 4300 3000

Balurghat 1610 4440 18250 5280 520

Hili 380 4285 1060 1075 700

Total District 26770 21675 29920 54335 42920

Source:DakshinDinajpurKrishiVigyan Kendra Annual Report, 2016-17

Fig 1.B: Block-wise Soil types of DakshinDinajpur district, West Bengal

The above table shows the block-wise soil types of Dakshin Dinajpur district. It can be noticed that clay loam and clay soils cover most areas of the district. It is observed that more than 50% clay soils are found in Gangarampur and Kumarganj. It is also important to point that no cultivable areas of Kushmandi and Harirampur & Banshihari are under sandy soils but are mostly covered by clay loam soils. The fertile loam soils are largely found in Balurghat followed by Kumarganj and Gangarampur.



TABLE 1.3: BLOCK-WISE SOIL FERTILITY STATUS OF DAKSHIN DINAJPUR

Name of Block O.C.% Range of Nutrients Status & PH

E.C. AVP2 05 AVP2 05 PH

Kushmandi 0.02-0.58 4-98 36-206 4.0-6.2 0.05-0.26

Harirampur & Banshihari 0.17-0.39 8-52 8-78 4.9-6.3 0.02-0.12

Gangarampur 0.05-0.63 2-126 41-800 5.5-7.5 0.01-1.42

Kumarganj 0.05-0.70 12-225 40-600 5.4-7.5 0.01-1.4

Tapan 0.05-0.92 12-199 54-542 5.3-6.7 0.02-6.8

Balurghat 0.05-0.65 12-125 40-600 5.5-7.0 0.01-1.4

Hili 0.05-0.08 12-125 40-500 5.5-7.0 0.01-1.4


From the above table it is observed that the highest amount of organic carbon in the soil is present in Tapan. The soils of Kumarganj and Gangarampur are slightly basic in nature. Apart from that, soils of other blocks are mostly acidic in nature. Available phosphorus is low in Kushmandi, Harirampur and Banshihari. Soil electrical conductivity measures the salinity of soil. It is an important indicator of soil health. Saline soil is found only in the Tapan block.

Climatic condition of Dakshin Dinajpur district- Climate plays a very important role in agriculture. The climatic condition of the district is very similar to the sub-tropical monsoon type. Large amount of rainfall occurs during May to September. In the afternoons of scorching April sudden rainfall occurs, which is known as monsoon burst. The monthly maximum temperature is more than 25ᵒc throughout the year. Generally except December and January it is over 30ᵒc. The monthly minimum temperature is below 12ᵒc only in December and January. The cold weather season is characterised by dry and stable air and clear skies.

The table for the mean temperature, rainfall and humidity from April, 2016 to March, 2017 is shown below.

TABLE 1.4: CLIMATIC CONDITION OF DAKSHIN DINAJPUR DISTRICT (Apr, 2016-Mar, 2017)

Month Rainfall (mm) Temperature (ᵒc)

Relative Humidity (%) Maximum Minimum

Apr, 2016 75 32.3 18.3 53.6

May, 2016 145.3 36.2 23.1 34.2

Jun, 2016 232.2 36.8 26.3 65.3 Jul, 2016 76.9 34.5 23.4 72.3

Aug, 2016 423 34.2 26.5 83.6 Sep, 2016 172.6 37.3 25.6 70.8 Oct, 2016 10 35.9 21.8 77.3 Nov, 2016 0 32.6 16.2 67.3 Dec, 2016 0 27.6 11.4 59.1 Jan, 2017 11.4 25.7 11.4 59.1

Feb, 2017 0 30.5 13.51 76.5

Mar, 2017 5.6 36.2 19.5 72.4

Dist. Avg. 96 33.3 19.8 66

Source: IMD, RRS (OAZ), UBKV Majhian, Patiram, DakshinDinajpur

Irrigation facilities of Dakshin Dinajpur district- Irrigation is important for the winter crops, which are cultivated during no-rainfall season. 1/3rd of total cultivable land is under irrigation facilities whereas the state average is 2/3rd of total cultivable land. The total irrigated area of the district accounts for 58,716.41 hectare. Thus the crops largely depend on monsoonal rainfall. Crop failure may occur if onset of monsoon is late or flood/drought hits the district.





Infrastructural facilities of Dakshin Dinajpur district- For agricultural purposes updated farm machineries, farm implements, vehicles etc. infrastructural facilities are needed. In today’s world without tractors, harvesters, winnowers, thrashers etc. agriculture is almost impossible. In Dakshin Dinajpur also these facilities are provided. The implements used in sowing, tilling and harvesting are also updated. These are as follows-

Farm Machinery- Portable pump set & accessories, generator, wheat thrasher, laser land leveller, bed planter, zero till seed-cum-fertilizer drill, seed graders & its accessories, power driven harvester, mechanical paddy thrasher etc. For these farm machineries funds are provided by ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), FPARP (Farmers Participatory Action Research Programme), NAIP (National Agriculture Imagery Programme) and RKVY (RashtriyaKrishiVikasYojana).

Farm Implements-cage wheel, spade, khurpi, sickle, fork spade, weeding hoe,knapsack sprayer, foot sprayer, paddy weeder, seed drill, wheel hoe, paddy thrasher, fibre tape, multi row jute seed drill, harrow etc. Funds are provided by ICAR.

Vehicles- Jeep and tractor are the main vehicles used for agricultural purposes. Jeep and tractor run 213277 km & 390410 km during the year 1.4.2016 to 31.3.2017 respectively.

Lab equipment- Automatic nitrogen analyser, digital flame photometer, digital PH meter, microprocessor based conductivity meter, double water distillation plant, UV visible spectrophotometer, mechanical shaker, BOD incubator, photographic attachment microscope, insect rearing chamber, LCD biological microscope DE winter, hand held refractometer etc. Funds are provided by ICAR.

Government Farms- Government indirectly helps by building infrastructures and also provides training to the farmers to adapt to the modern technology. There are several government farms present which are key to the success of agriculture in Dakshin Dinajpur such as 1 Sub-division Adaptive Research Farm, 1 Agri Training Centre Farm, 5 Block Seed Farm, 1 NBKV Regional Research Station Farm etc.

Farmers and Agricultural Labourers-The farmers cultivate land and ensure proper nourishment of the crops. A brief description about the farmers and agricultural labourers are given below.

TABLE 1.5: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FARMERS Total Population 1502647

Agricultural Families 195700

Small Farmers 63463

Marginal Farmers 128023

Agricultural Labourers

Male 88813

Female 39210

Total 128023 Landless Labourers 142369


It may be observed from Table 1.5 that in Dakshin Dinajpur the number of landless labourers is more than the farmers who owns a farm. The marginal farmers aredouble the number of small farmers.

Ownership Distribution of Land Holdings in Dakshin Dinajpur- Out of total 2,37,976 land holdings, only 5,188 farmers have lands over 2 hectare and a whopping 1,94,237 farmers have less than 1 hectare land, which has been given in Table 1.6. Thus over 80 per cent of the holdings are either small or marginal, i.e. less than one hectare, which is a hindrance for the modern methods of agriculture.

TABLE 1.6: OWNERSHIP DISTRIBUTION OF LAND HOLDINGS

Total No. of holdings 237976

Up to 1.0 hectare 194237

1.0 to 2.0 hectare 38551

Above 2.0 hectare 5188





Fig 1.C: Distribution of different Land sizes in DakshinDinajpur, West Bengal

Major Crops of Dakshin Dinajpur district:- A variety of crops are cultivated which contributes greatly to the economy of the district.

Considering the production, paddy and wheat are unparalleled among the food crops. Many important crops like vegetables, cereals, fruits, spices, fibres, flowers are also widely cultivated to satisfy the needs of the growing population. The major crops are-

TABLE 1.7: AREA, PRODUCTION AND PRODUCTIVITY OF MAJOR CROPS CULTIVATED IN DAKSHIN DINAJPUR DISTRICT 2014-15

Crops Area (ha) Production (ton) Productivity (kg/ha)

Kharif Paddy 165825 680002.5 4094

Boro Paddy 37450 187457.5 4996.25

Autumn Paddy 7225 17394.4 601.8

Wheat 32300 90178 2725

Sugarcane 145 9183 62516.25

Potato 11815 313564 27171

Pea 133 101.35 794

Blackgram 652 4299 742.5

Mustard 27900 24883 888

Linseed 316 176 568.75

Jute 14085 181.3 (bale) 13 (bale/ha)

Mesta 7045 80.19 (bale) 11 (bale/ha)

Source:DakshinDinajpurKrishiVigyan Kendra Annual Report, 2016-17

a) Paddy- Paddy is the most important food crop of Dakshin Dinajpur. It is produced in over 2 lakhs hectare agricultural land. Kharif paddy is cultivated in most lands. The production of kharif paddy is over six lakh eighty thousand tons. But the productivity of boro paddy is slightly more than kharif paddy. Paddy is cultivated most in Gangarampur followed by Kushmandi and Kumarganj.

b) Wheat- Wheat is most important winter crop of DakshinDinajpur. It is sown in the beginning of winter (November-December) and harvested in the beginning of summer (March-April).It is grown in 32,300 hectares agricultural land. It is cultivated in Balurghat, Banshihari and Harirampur.

c) Potato-Amongst the vegetables of DakshinDinajpur potato is most extensively cultivated. Potato grows in well-drained, loose and loamy soil. It is grown in Balurghat, Kushmandi and Tapan.




d) Sugarcane- Though Sugarcane is cultivated in very less amount of area, but it has a significant productivity. Hili and Tapan are the areas where it is cultivated.

e) Mustard- Mustard is cultivated in 27,900 hectares area and its production is 24,800 tons. It is cultivated all over the district, especially in Balurghat, Kumarganj and Hili.

f) Jute- Jute is one of the most important natural fibre cash crops of DakshinDinajpur. It is sown in February and harvested after 102- 110 days. It is cultivated in 14,085 hectares agricultural land of the district. The major areas where Jute is produced are Balurghat and Tapan.

g) Mesta- Mesta is another natural fibre cultivated in Dakshin Dinajpur. It is largely cultivated in Tapan block.

Problems:- (i) Most of the farmers are poor. They are not able to purchase much modern agricultural equipment. (ii) Over reliability on nature and lack of irrigation. Only 33% of cultivable land is under irrigation

facility. (iii) Problem of marketing, transportation and storage of agricultural crops. (iv) More than 80% land holdings are small or marginal, i.e. less than one hectare. The agricultural

fields are also fragmented. These two combine to create a hindrance to use several modern methods of agriculture.

(v) The natural fertility of the soil is diminishing due to continuous cultivation of food crops. The nitrogen fixing crops like pulses are cultivated in few areas.

(vi) The landless labourers, marginal farmers and small farmers are plagued by poverty and lead unceremonious life. Their normal life takes a battering as they live in a situation of panic and insecurity.

(vii) There are no industriesat all in the district let alone agriculture based industry. (viii) There are numerous other problems like primitive technology, low productivity, soil degradation,

lack of skilled workers etc.

Probable Solutions:- a) Irrigation facilities should be provided those areas where it is not available. b) Cooperative farming should be encouraged to reduce the problem of fragmented land. c) Storage facilities and transportation system has to improve. d) The government and other non-government agencies should provide necessary credit and guidance

to the farmers to curb their poverty, thus ushering a new hope in their life. e) Attention has to be focused on horticulture, floriculture and also emphasis should be given on the

cultivation of pulses. f) Farmer-friendly support services should be provided at any cost covering extension, training and

knowledge. g) Establishing agriculture based industry, strengthening infrastructure, making efficient use of

technology etc. should be done for the betterment of the farmers.

Conclusion:- The study is an endeavourer to find out the basic soil, land and climate charateristics along with

their agricultural significance. It also provides an account on infrastructural facilities the district has. The problems and possible solutions also discussed. Finally it may be concluded that if the district overcomes those problems, it will not remain backward anymore.

References: 1. Husain, Majid (2014): Geography of India, McGraw Hill Education PP 9.1-9.15, 9.67-9.68 2. Roy, Prithwish (2012): Economic Geography A Study of Resources, Central Educational Enterprises (P) Ltd PP

149-162 3. Husain, Majid (2004): Systematic Agricultural Geography, Rawat Publication PP 313-357 4. ddinajpur.nic.in/Agriculture/agriculture 5. ddinajpur.nic.in/Land/land 6. ddkvk.in/DDKVK-Annual%20Report%202016-17.doc

A STUDY ON AGRICULTURE OF DAKSHIN DINAJPUR ...

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