Nearly Fifty Percent of the Net Cropped Areas are One Cropped; Ways to Utilize the land Resource

       In the economic review 2006-07, the net cropped area of the state Tripura is more than 4,00,000 hectares and area under one crop or sown once in a year is almost fifty percent of the total net cropped area.

       There is no doubting that this huge tract of lands is utilized for only one crop is due to the lack of assured irrigation facility. A vast tract of lands sown once is none other than inadequacy of utilization of land resource.

       Now, the reality is; rain fed condition is the phenomenon in India and, it is still the pre-dominant condition that covers the huge requirement of Agricultural output in the country.

       Now, it is not possible to radically improve the situation as far as bringing new area under assured irrigation facility even though relentless pursuing has been made by the state or country.

       Whatever, has been achieved in terms of increasing the area under irrigation facility but much improvement in future may not bring any radical change in view of the several intervening conditions which come across in the way of increasing area under assured irrigation zone.

       The best way to deal the situation is; managing the situation within the given harsh reality. Since, farming on rain fed condition is not new and in act common phenomenon so, learning to work within limited resource should be the prime focus and objective oriented.

       The condition should be like that where every water drops matter; farmer should be well equipped to know the basic knowledge of rain water harvesting for utilizing precious water resource during the sensitive period or requirement of rain fed crops.

       Now, coming to the fifty percent of the total net cropped area under one crop zone; one crop means, field remained vacant most of the time in the given year.

       After harvest of crops taken up under the monsoonal rainfall, such water stress land is kept fallow till the next monsoon for cropping.

       Now, what can farmer do after the harvest of kharif crop is to utilize the soil moisture for growing of some other rain fed crops like oilseeds, pulses and other cover crops.

       Through this process, farmers of course many not expect the expected yield of the crops sown but he gets twin mileage from the land otherwise remain barren or fallow after the kharif crop.
      The first is, farmer gets certain yield of oil seeds and pulses from the field second, his soil is better utilized and soil health is improved when leguminous crops are grown.

       In Tripura, the economic review 2006-07 reveals that oil seeds and pulses production is very less due to area coverage under oilseeds and pulses cultivation.

       There may be different suitable factors for increasing the oil seeds and pulses production but amongst such various factors to increase the production of oil seeds and pulses are by utilizing these vast tracts of lands through growing of oil seeds and pulses.

       The state department may initiate the appropriate steps for popularizing this scheme through effective extension mechanisms.
       It is high time, otherwise, some other items would take the lead roles, in this case, state’s dependency on other states for oilseeds and pulses would surmount in future.

  Agritangkol dated 18.02.2012 at 04.00 P.M