RA 00110.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

Area, Production, and Productivity:
Distribution Trends
Contribution to National Food Basket
Pearl millet is the fourth most important food crop
in India, after rice, wheat, and sorghum. It grew on
9.5% of the area under food grains in the following
introduction of high-yielding varieties (post-
H Y V , 1965-84) as compared to 9.9% during the
pre-HYV era (1954-65) (Table 1). The contribution
to the food basket was 4.8% from 1965-84 as compared
to 4.7% from 1954-65.
Compared to cereals, pearl millet contributed
12% of the area and 5.5% of the production in 1965-
84 (Table 2), recording an increase of 0.8% in area,
and a 0.1% decrease in production over 1954-65.
Among coarse grains, pearl millet occupies second
place, following sorghum. Pearl millet grew on
27.2% of the area and yielded 18.9% of coarse grain
production during 1965-84, an increase of 1.5% in
area and 3.5% in production over 1954-65.
Area
Pearl millet area as a percentage of coarse grains
increased in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka,
and Madhya Pradesh during the post-HYV
period (Table 2), but the contribution to total cereals
increased only in Gujarat, Karnataka, and Madhya
Pradesh.
In Rajasthan pearl millet is the principal grain
crop, grown on 53.8% of the cereal area, and on 67%
of the coarse grains area from 1965-84. The other
two important states for pearl millet are Gujarat and
Haryana, which accounted for more than 50% of the
area under coarse grains, and over 30% of the cereal
area.
Table 1. Contribution of cereal crops to food grains in
India.
Crop
Coarse grains
Sorghum
Pearl millet
Maize
Small millets
Finger millet
Barley
Cereals
Rice
Wheat
Food grains
Production (%)
113.0 3 Area (%)
124.0 3 74.3 4 110.2 4
1954-65
(Pre-
HYV) 1
38.8
15.6
9.9
3.7
4.1
2.1
2.8
80.0
29.8
11.4
1965-84
(Post-
HYV) 2
35.1
13.5
9.5
4.6
3.5
2.0
1.9
81.7
31.0
15.6
1954-65
(Pre-
HYV)
30.6
11.7
4.7
5.1
2.7
2.6
3.6
86.9
42.8
13.7
1965-84
(Post-
HYV)
25.2
9.0
4.8
5.6
1.5
2.1
2.2
90.5
40.6
24.7
1. Pre-HYV = Pre-High Yielding Varieties era.
2. Post-HYV= Post-High Yielding Varieties era.
3. ha x 10 6 .
4. t x 10 6 .
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