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Pattern of agriculture in Bihar | Agriculture in Bihar| Agricultural Land Use in Bihar | Agricultural Pattern in Bihar BPSC

Pattern of agriculture in Bihar | Agriculture in Bihar| Agricultural Land Use in Bihar | Agricultural Pattern in Bihar BPSC

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Geography of Bihar:

  • Bihar is located in the eastern part of the country.
  • Bihar is a landlocked state. 
  • It lies between 83° 19' to 88° 17' East longitudes, and between 24° 20'  to 27° 31" North latitudes.
  • Although it is located in the north of the tropic of cancer, because of other geographical factors such as the presence of the Himalayas on the northern side, there is a subtropical temperate climate in Bihar.
  • Bihar lies between the humid climate of West Bengal in the east and sub humid Uttar Pradesh in the west. The location of Bihar is in the transitional zone between humid and sub-humid climates.
  • Ganga, Ghaghara, Son, Gandak, and Kosi are important rivers in Bihar.
  • River Ganga divides Bihar into nearly two halves and it flows from west to east.

Land use pattern of Bihar:

The following are land-use patterns in Bihar
  • The total geographical area of Bihar is around 93.60 lakh hectares. The area of Bihar is around 2.86 % of the total geographical area of the country.
  • Around 56.03 lakh hectares( around 59.86 %) of land are net cultivated areas. Due to urbanization, the net cultivable area of Bihar is declining.
  • Around 7.1 % of geographical areas are notified forest areas.
  • Around 4.6 % of the geographical areas of Bihar are barren and unculturable land.
  • Around 17.5 % of the geographical area is used for non-agricultural use such as reserves for water areas and flood areas.
  • Around 10 to 11 % of the land area is used for other activities such as cultural wastelands, permanent pasture, fallow land, etc.


Status of Agriculture in Bihar:

The following are some facts about agriculture in Bihar:

  • Around 24 to 25 % of the State GDP of Bihar comes from the agriculture sector.
  • Around 75 to 77 % population of the state workforce are involved in agriculture sectors including forestry and fisheries.  Agriculture workforce participation in Bihar is much higher than the national average.
  • The state has achieved self-sufficiency in food grains production.
  • Bihar is the largest producer of vegetables such as potatoes, onion, etc in India.
  • Bihar is also the largest producer of lichi and pineapple in India.
  • Bihar's agricultural land is most suitable for intensive cultivation as a large portion of the land area is covered by Khadar( recent alluvial deposits)  and Banger( old alluvial deposits). Soils of Natural fertile soils are the important natural assets of Bihar.

Agricultural Pattern in Bihar

The pattern of agriculture means the proportion of areas used for various crops during particular seasons. By analyzing the agriculture pattern, we get to know the proportional areas of the different crops in different seasons and also the importance of the crops.
For example,
  • Paddy crops are major crops of Bihar during Kharif crops as it is grown around 37.12 % of the total geographical area of Bihar.
60 % of the total geographical area of Bihar is under cultivation which is much higher than the national average of 42 %. 
  • In general, agriculture/cropping patterns are largely determined by rainfall, temperature, soil, relief, and technology.

The agriculture pattern in Bihar varies from season to season. There are three agriculture seasons in Bihar:

  • Kharif Crops
  • Rabi Crop
  • Zaid Crop

Kharif Crops:

  • The crops that are grown from June to October are called Kharif crops. 
  • Rice crop is the main crop in the Kharif season and it is grown in all the districts of Bihar. As per 2020-21 government data, the cropping area of the Paddy crop is 34.75( around 37.12 % of the total geographical area of Bihar) lakh hectares in Bihar.
  • Maize is the second-largest crop in Bihar during the Kharif season. 
  • The cropping area of the Maize crop is 4.25 lakh hectares in Bihar.

Rabi Crops:

  • Wheat crops are major crops of the rabi season in Bihar. The cropping area of wheat is 24 lakh hectares( about 25.64 % of total geographical areas) in Bihar.
  • Bihar is the third-largest producer of Vegetables in India.

Zaid Crops:

  • Bihar is the largest producer of Lychee in India. 
  • Bihar is also the largest producer of vegetables in India.


Factors responsible for agriculture pattern in Bihar:

The following are responsible factors for such agricultural patterns in Bihar:
  • Bihar has a large cultivable area (60%) as almost all of it is plain and formed by the Ganges and other Himalayan rivers, with fertile alluvial soils predominating. The forest cover in Bihar is very low (7.1%). That is why agricultural activities are dominant here.
  • Bihar is situated in a sub-tropical climate. Due to heavy rainfall, humid climate, and fertile soil during the Kharif season, paddy crops dominate.
  • Due to the perennial nature of the rivers and the availability of ample groundwater in the state, Bihar is the third-largest producer of vegetables and the fourth-largest producer of fruits among the states of India.
Agriculture Problems in Bihar:
The following are issues in the agriculture sector:
  • Despite the abundance of very fertile land and water resources, the agricultural productivity of Bihar is the lowest in India.
  • For good productivity in agriculture, the use of good quality seeds, irrigation, etc. is required.
  • Farmers do not get good-quality seeds. Some people do not use it even after getting it. It has been found that some farmers either sell good quality seeds to others or use them for food that is given to them by the government to sow at cheap prices. Farmers need to be made aware of the importance and cost of good quality seed.
  • There is uncertainty in the availability of electricity in the villages, due to which the farmers are afraid that their crops may not get spoiled due to lack of irrigation.
  • Due to a lack of storage facilities, the farmer is not able to get good costs and has to sell them cheaply.
  • Despite all these problems, some farmers do farming at a good cost, yet they do not get a good price for the crop because there is a lack of agro-based industry.
  • Cash crops like sugarcane are not produced in Bihar as much because there is a shortage of buyers.

Measures to improve the agriculture sector in Bihar:

The following are some suggestions to improve the agriculture sector in Bihar:
  • There is an urgent need for farmers to work on both availability and access to quality seeds.
  • We can easily increase the productivity of agriculture by 2 to 3 times by making the availability of good quality seeds and electricity for irrigation.
  • Bihar has good potential for growing cash crops like sugarcane but due to the non-availability of sugar industries, farmers do not grow sugarcane.
  • There is a need to establish the sugar industry, ethanol blending, potato chips industry, edible oil processing, and other agro-based industries on a large scale so that farmers get a fair price for their produce.
  • Bihar has huge potential to develop good quality fruits and vegetables as the regions have a favorable climate and fertile soil but due to a lack of skills and technology at the village level, we are not able to utilize them.
  • Farmers also need to improve their skills by adding the latest knowledge.

Try to solve the following Questions:
  • Bring out the pattern of agriculture in Bihar and discuss the factors responsible for such a pattern. ( 64th BPSC 2019)
  • What are the salient features of agricultural land use and cropping pattern in Bihar? Analyze the agricultural problems of the state. (66th BPSC)
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