Agricultural Practices and Crops in Udham Singh Nagar

Agricultural Practices and Crops in Udham Singh Nagar

Agricultural Practices and Crops in Udham Singh Nagar : Udham Singh Nagar district, located in the Tarai region of Uttarakhand, is one of the most agriculturally prosperous districts in the state. With fertile alluvial soils, availability of irrigation and favorable climatic conditions, the district has emerged as a leading producer of cash crops like sugarcane and basmati rice as well as other cereals, pulses, oilseeds and horticultural crops.

Agriculture is the backbone of Udham Singh Nagar’s economy, with about 75% of the population engaged in agricultural activities. The gross cropped area in the district is around 3 lakh hectares, with cropping intensity as high as 184%. The major crops grown in the district along with area and production statistics are examined below:

Major Crops Grown

Sugarcane

Sugarcane is the leading cash crop of Udham Singh Nagar, occupying about 50% of the gross cropped area. The district accounts for over 60% of the total sugarcane production in Uttarakhand. Popular high-yielding varieties grown include CoS 8436, CoS 767, CoPant 90223, CoPant 84212 and CoPant 97222. Sugarcane is cultivated in all the blocks of Rudrapur, Kashipur and Sitarganj. There are 8 sugar mills with crushing capacity of over 1 lakh tons per day, alongwith numerous jaggery making units, providing livelihood to farmers and labourers.

Area: 1.5 lakh hectares

Production: Over 15 million tons

Paddy

Paddy is the staple crop, grown in about 20% of the total cultivated area mainly during the Kharif season. Popular varieties include Type-3 Basmati, Pusa Basmati 1, PR-116 and NLR-34449. Paddy cultivation is prominent in Sitarganj and Kichha blocks. Double cropping of paddy is also practiced after harvesting of wheat and sugarcane.

Area: 60,000 hectares

Production: 2.5 lakh tons

Wheat

Wheat is the second most important food crop, occupying around 15% of gross cropped area. It is cultivated as a Rabi crop, with popular varieties being UP-2572, UP-2584, PBW-343, PBW-502 and WH-147. Wheat cultivation is widespread in Rudrapur, Kashipur and Jaspur blocks.

Area: 45,000 hectares

Production: 1.5 lakh tons

Maize

Maize is an important Kharif cereal crop, grown in around 30,000 hectares mainly in Sitarganj, Kichha and parts of Kashipur blocks. Hybrid varieties like HM-4, Pusa early hybrid makka 1 and PEHM-5 are popular.

Production: 60,000 tons

Oilseeds

Major oilseeds grown are groundnut, mustard, sunflower and soyabean in order of area occupied. Groundnut is popular in Sitarganj while mustard and sunflower is grown in most blocks. Soyabean cultivation is also picking up among farmers.

Area: 25,000 hectares

Production: 20,000 tons

Pulses

Pulses like arhar/toor, urad, moong and masoor are grown but occupy less area. Arhar is the most widely cultivated pulse.

Area: 15,000 hectares

Production: 10,000 tons

Horticulture

Alongwith field crops, horticulture has picked up pace in Udham Singh Nagar district in the past decade. The main fruits grown are mango, guava, lemon, litchi and malta. Vegetables like potato, tomato, pea, cabbage, cauliflower and chillies are also cultivated extensively.

Agricultural Practices

• Multiple cropping with 2-3 crops grown in a year is widely practiced by farmers to maximize returns from land.
• Mechanization has increased with use of tractors, harvesters and threshers.
• Chemical fertilizers especially urea and DAP are used extensively by farmers alongwith farmyard manure.
• Over 85% of the cultivated area is irrigated with tube wells and canals being major sources. Micro-irrigation techniques are being promoted.
• Improved seeds and cultivation practices are being adopted by progressive farmers.
• Contract farming by private companies has emerged in crops like tomato, potato and chillies.
• Post-harvest storage, transportation and marketing remains a challenge.

Conclusion to Agricultural Practices and Crops in Udham Singh Nagar

Agricultural Practices and Crops in Udham Singh Nagar : Agriculture is the economic mainstay of Udham Singh Nagar district, providing livelihood to majority of rural households. The fertile Tarai soils, irrigation facilities and enterprising farmers has transformed the district into a leading sugarcane and cereal producer. However, small and marginal landholdings combined with lack of remunerative prices, inadequate market linkages, crop losses and indebtedness threatens long term viability of agriculture. Hence a comprehensive policy framework focusing on sustainable intensification, diversification to high value crops, development of agro-processing industries and effective price support mechanism is the need of the hour.