Agriculture’s contribution to State GSDP has declined from 16 p.c. to 12 p.c., says FKCCI paper
Terming the performance of the State’s agriculture sector as the “most alarming”, the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) has pointed out that the contribution of agriculture to the State’s GSDP declined from 16 per cent in 2004-2005 to 12 per cent in 2011-12.
In the background paper released for the technical session on Agenda-Development Karnataka during its 95 annual general body meeting here on Thursday, the FKCCI has said that the performance of the agriculture sector has been disheartening during the 11 Five Year Plan period - 2007-2012. It pointed out that the growth rate in the agriculture sector witnessed a decline from 2007-2008 with only a rise of 13.3 per cent coming in 2010-2011. The sector showed a negative growth of 2.9 per cent in 2011-2012.
With 60.2 per cent of the workforce still dependent on agriculture in the State, the depleting share of agriculture in GSDP indicated a shortfall in agriculture over the years, the paper said.
It also observed that the misalignment of agriculture output and employment was contributing to stagnant, or in some cases declining, real incomes for a significant portion of a major workforce.
The chamber has also urged for setting up of agro-based industries in rural Karnataka that would help provide employment to the workforce from the agriculture sector.
The technical session was attended by ISEC Director R.S. Deshpande, Tourism Director Sathyavati, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce, M.N. Vidyashankar, and Secretary Infrastructure Development Department Rajkumar Khatri.
The FKCCI Journalism Award for 2012 was presented to the Senior Assistant Editor of The Hindu, Bangalore, V. Sridhar, for his contribution to business journalism, by Labour Minister B.N. Bache Gowda.
Keywords: FKCCI, agriculture sector, GSDP
Karnataka leads the whole country in vegetable and flower seed production because of it's
skilled manpower,entrepreneurship and participation of private industry.In fact the first F1
hybrid in tomato "Karnataka" and capsicum "Bharat" came from Indam seeds in
Bangalore.The largest area under protected cultivation of vegetables and ornamentals is in
Karnataka concentrated in Dharwad,Belgaum ,Hosur and Bangalore districts.Mysore is
known for sandal wood and sandal based products.The emerging issues Karnataka
agriculture faces are: shortage of labour,scarcity of water,irratic power supply,shrinkage in
land area under agriculture,absence of direct marketing,high H and PH losses in fruits and
vegetables and above all fall in organic carbon in soil.The emphasis may be on seed and
planting material production and protected cultivation.Value addition and product
development need to get priority in planning.Market led agriculture is the need of the state.
Karnataka leads the whole country in vegetable and flower seed production especially hybrids.In fact the first tomato hybrid"Karnataka" was developed by Indams,Bangalore.The first capsicum hybrid"Bharat"was also from Karnataka.The skilled manpower,entrepreunership of people like Padma Shree Dr Manmohan Attavar and above all receptive and progressive farmers made Karnataka the vegetable seed bowl of India.With escalating land prices, migration of labour,dwindling water sources, poor infrastructure in villages farming became unremunerative.Karnataka despite above handicaps went foreward in protected cultivation of vegetables and flowers in the districts of Dharwad,Belgaum and in and around Bangalore.Dharwad has sizeable area under bread wheat and also the much valued Bydagi chilli.Late Dr M H Marigowda the pioneer garden man developed the Lal Bagh Gardens ,famous all over the Globe.What Karnataka needs is wholistic mechanization,value addition and marketing under the brand KARNATAKA.
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