Role of Allied sector in Rural Employment Generation -Case Study .

SUMMARY: Employment generation coupled with improving employability of rural masses has always been the priority of the government.

The main focus is on strengthening the rural economy by reviving agriculture and allied sector in the country. The importance of agriculture and allied sector is brought out by the fact that as per census 2011 of the 313 million main workers of country ,166 million (56.6 percent) were engaged in these activities.

BACKGROUND:

India is predominantly a rural economy where agriculture and allied sectors play a vital role in national income,output,employment generation and foreign exchange earnings. https://www.seedlearner.com/post/why-investing-in-rural-area-people-in-india

1. The real gross valve added (RGVA) at constant prices by primary sector (including agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying) which was up to Rs1,50,191crore in 1950-51, went up to Rs 22,83,724 crore in 2019-20 registering a compound growth rate of 4.2percent per annum.

2. Because of structural changes in the economy of nation, the contribution of the primary sector to Gross Domestic product has steadily declined from 53.71 percent to 16.87 percent in 2020.

3. On the contrary, the share of agricultural and allied products in employment generation not only declined at a slow pace from 69.40 percent in1951 to 41.90 percent in 2020.

4. In spite a surge down in its share in national output and employment, agriculture and allied sector still remains the country's major source of livelihood for more than half of the population of the country.

In fact, agriculture in India is considered as playing gamble with the monsoon because almost in all part of the country, agricultural production is very much dependent upon the rainfall.

• It is highly susceptible to natural calamities and risk like droughts,floods,pest diseases etc.

• Nearly 25 percent of manpower engaged in agriculture is disguisedly unemployed.

• In order to make agriculture a lucrative profession by protecting the farmers from income stocks and providing additional employment opportunities throughout the year, it is necessary to promote the allied sector activities like animal husbandry, pisciculture ,horticulture, floriculture ,apiculture ,sericulture ,forestry and logging.

ALLIED SECTORS for Rural employment: -

1. Pisciculture

2. Animal Husbandry

3. Horticulture

4. Floriculture

5. Apiculture

6. Sericulture

7. Agro processing.

PISCICULTURE:

• The country has a rich and diverse fisheries resources due to its coastal lines and various inland resources in the form of rivers, canal, lakes, ponds, tanks, reservoirs etc.,

• The sector provides livelihood to about 16 million fishers and fish farmers at the primary level and almost twice the number along the valve chain.

• During 2019-20, exports of fish and fish preparations stood at 651 thousand tones and valves at Rs 23,501crore.

• There is job potential in the field of fish processing, fish seed hatcheries, fish feed industry, aquaculture etc. with scope of growth of aquaculture and fish farming in the country as in 2018-19 only percent of inland fisheries and 71 percent of marine fisheries potential was harnessed.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY:

• The livestock sector has emerged as a sustainable secondary source of income and generating gainful employment during the phase of seasonal employment, particularly to the landless, small, marginal farmers.

• Nearly 19 percent of the world's total production is contributed by India.

• The production of eggs in INDIA increased from 1,832 to 1,03,318 million numbers registering ACGR of 6.11 percent from 1950-51 to 2018-19.

• Realizing the potential of Animal husbandry sector to strengthen the rural economy, the budgetary allocations have witnessed a rise through wide range of schemes and national initiatives like National Livestock Mission, Rastriya Gokul mission etc.,

HORTICULTURE: -

• The diverse agro climatic conditions and wide varieties of soil in the country make it possible to grow almost all type of horticultural products like fresh fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops,flowers,aromatic and medical crops, spices and plantation crops.

• Fruits and vegetables accounts for more than 90 percent of total horticulture production in this country.

• Despite huge production of horticulture crops ,India's share in world exports amounts to less than 1.5percent.

• For the holistic growth of the horticulture sector ,mission for Integrated development of Horticulture (MIDH) a centrally sponsored scheme was launched from 1st April 2014 . The MIDH provides financial ,technical and administrative support to state governments for the development of horticulture sector covering fruits ,spices ,flowers, vegetables , mushroom, aromatic plants, bamboo and saffron.

FLORICULTURE: -

• Floriculture is an age-old farming activity practiced in India.

• https://www.seedlearner.com/post/floriculture-in-ancient-india

• It has immense potential for generating gainful self -employment among small and marginal farmers.

• Due to increased demand of floriculture products in the home market and aboard, farmers have been shifting sustenance to commercial production of flowers.

• India's total exports of floriculture products increased sharply from Rs105crore in2000-01 to Rs 541.61crore in 2019-20.

• The major importing of Indian flower products are USA, UK, NETHERLANDS, GERMANY, and UAE.

• Recognizing the importance of this sector, government of India has identified floriculture as a sunrise industry and accorded 100 percent expert-oriented status on it.

APICULTURE: -

• It is lucrative profit giving venture with very low or negligible investment.

• If practiced in a scientific manner, it can generate huge employment and improve the economic condition of rural people.

• Other products like Royal jelly, bee wax, pollen, propolis, and bee venom also yield good income to the farmers.

• With output of 64,000 tones, India ranked eighth in the world in honey production in 2017-18.

• According to official reports, India has a potential of about 200million bee colonies as against the present level of 3.4 million.

• National Beekeeping and Honey mission (NBHM) has been launched to achieve the goal of sweet revolution in the country.

1. Adoption of scientific beekeeping methods for improvement in production and productivity of honey.

2. Develop of requisite infrastructural facilities for postharvest management including collection, processing, storage, marketing, and valve addition.

3. Research and technology generation keeping in view of agro-climatic and socio-economic conditions.

SERICULTURE: -

• India is the second largest producer of silk (after China) in the world with its unique distinction of being the only country producing all the four commercially known varieties of silk viz., Mulberry ,Eri,Tasar, and Muga.

• Total silk production in the country stood at 35,820 MT in 2019-20 as against 28,708MT in 2014-15.

• India's silk industry provides gainful employment to over 9.43 million persons of which a sizable number belong to economically weaker sections.

AGRO PROCESSING: -

• Agro processing not only enables to reduce the post-harvest wastages but also helps to fetch fair and remunerative prices to producers through the valve addition in their agricultural produce.

• Presently, processing of fruits and vegetables is only two percent in India ,in comparison to 80 percent in USA ,78 percent in Philippines.

• Due to rising consumer affordability, rapid urbanization and change in lifestyle the preference for processed Agri-Products has been increased rapidly. https://www.seedlearner.com/post/agri-platforms-for-nutrition-case-study

• Enormous and ever-increasing demand for canned fruits,jam,jelly,sauce,pickle, and honey etc.,

QUESTIONS: -

Which government funded board or programme supported the development of PISCICULTURE?

Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) worth Rs. 7522 crore was created in October 2018.The fund aims to boost annual fish production to 20 million tonnes by 2022-23 and generate over 9.40 lakh employment generations and opportunities.

Which Government scheme was implemented to Surge up in BLUE REVOLUTION?

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada was launched on 10th September 2020.Total estimated investment of Rs 20,050 crores is to be implemented over a period of 5 years from FY 2020-21 to FY2024-25.

How many AGRI-EXPORT zones has been set-up by Government of India for FLORICULTURE?

The government has setup SIX Agri-exports zones for floriculture - one each in Karnataka , Maharashtra ,Sikkim, and Uttarakhand and two in Tamil Nadu.

What is AGRO-PROCESSING?

agro processing means the processing of any locally produced agricultural, fishing or animal product and includes an undertaking for the dehydrating, milling packaging canning for the purpose of changing the form, contour or physical appearance of such product in preparation for the market but excludes an undertaking of deep – sea fishing or manufacturing.

REFERENCES:

1.facts and stats are belonging to 2020-21 data published by various sources.

2. Kurukshetra

3. rural development blog by government of India.

BY KHAS.