Karnataka’s foodgrain production, including rice, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses, has increased by 40.55 lakh tonnes — from 1.049 crore tonnes to 1.45 crore tonnes — in the last 15 years, according to the Reserve Bank of India’s Handbook of Statistics on Indian States (2022).
The RBI handbook said foodgrain production increased from 1,04,95,000 tonnes in 2004-05 to 1,45,50,000 tonnes in 2020-21 in the State, while net sown area increased by 3.05 lakh hectares from 1,04,99,000 hectares to 1,08,04,000 hectares in the State during the same period.
Karnataka’s land use too increased by 10.24 lakh hectares, gross irrigated area by 17.06 lakh hectares and net irrigated area by 14.15 lakh hectares during the last 15 years.
While the production of rice, the State’s staple food, increased by 74,400 tonnes, wheat rose by 83,000 tonnes, coarse cereals by 22.35 lakh tonnes, and pulses by 12.73 lakh tonnes during the 15-year period.
| Area (in thousand hectares) | 2004-05 | 2019-20 |
| Land use | 12,807 | 13,831 |
| Net sown area | 10,499 | 10,804 |
| Gross irrigated area | 3,328 | 5,034 |
| Net irrigated area | 2,820 | 4,235 |
Irrigation and yield
The yield of all food crops increased substantially owing to increased irrigation facilities, use of fertilisers and pesticides as well as innovative methods of farming used by farmers across the State, the RBI report said. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
“The yield of all food crops increased substantially owing to increased irrigation facilities, use of fertilizers, and pesticides and innovative methods of farming used by farmers across the State,” said the report.
The rice yield per hectare has increased by 360 kg per hectare, wheat by 551 kg, coarse cereals by 730 kg and pulses by 285 kg per hectare. The yield of foodgrains increased from 1,388 kg to 1,767 kg, an increase of 379 kg per hectare.
| Yield (in kg per hectares) | 2004-05 | 2020-2021 |
| Rice | 2,712 | 3,072 |
| Wheat | 740 | 1,291 |
| Coarse cereals | 1,530 | 2,260 |
| Pulses | 376 | 661 |
Area under rice rose by 89,000 hectares while area under wheat declined by one lakh hectares. Area under coarse cereals also declined by 3.98 lakh hectares while area under pulses increased by 10.20 lakh hectares. The total area under foodgrains increased by 6.72 lakh hectares between 2005 and 2021.
Milk, vegetables
While the production of vegetables increased by 27.71 lakh tonnes during the period, the production of various types of fruits in the State has increased by 31.40 lakh tonnes. | Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain
While the area under vegetables increased by 93,000 hectares, its production increased by 27.71 lakh tonnes during the period, the RBI said. The production of various types of fruits in the State has increased by 31.40 lakh tonnes.
Area under oilseeds declined by 14.65 lakh hectares, while that under other commercial crops such as cotton and sugarcane has increased by 2.99 lakh hectares and 2.65 lakh hectares.
| Production of commodities (in thousand tonnes) | 2004-05 | 2020-2021 |
| Rice | 3547 | 4291.7 |
| Wheat | 179 | 262.1 |
| Coarse cereals | 5696.7 | 7931.2 |
| Pulses | 792 | 2065 |
The yield of oilseeds increased by 446 kg, cotton by 257 kg, and 15,798 kg per hectare. The yield of fertiliser too has increased from 99.5 kg per hectare to 135.52 kg per hectare.
The State’s milk production increased from 99,000 tonnes to 3.64 lakh tonnes during the 15-year period, while fish production rose from 2.51 lakh tonnes to 6.32 lakh tonnes during the period.
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