Horticulture is on the Rise in Maharashtra Despite a Decline in Millets

Maharashtra ranks second in organic farming, behind Madhya Pradesh, and horticulture is booming, but the economic survey says that the agriculture sector in general is mixed.
The agricultural sector’s growth rate is expected to fall from 11.4% in 2021-22 to 10.2% in 2022-23 due to climate shifts and unseasonal weather. At a time when the United Nations and India have designated 2023 as the International Year of Millets, millets such as jowar, bajra, and ragi are among the crops whose output has decreased this year. Despite the higher prices offered for procurement, this holds true.

In 2021 and 2022, other cash crops like cotton, sugarcane, and oilseeds saw lower yields per hectare. Interestingly, production of vegetables, fruits, and flowers from horticulture has increased.

Oilseeds are expected to grow in the kharif season of 2022-23, while cereals, pulses, sugarcane, and cotton are expected to shrink from the previous year. According to the survey’s findings, the area under cereals is expected to shrink during the rabi season of 2022-23, while the area under pulses and oilseeds is expected to grow.

The gross cropped area in the state was 241.49 lakh hectares, while the net sown area was 165.90 lakh hectares, or 53.9%, of the state’s total 307.58 lakh hectares, according to statistics on land use for 2021-22.

Interestingly, the state’s operational farmland holdings have decreased, which experts believe may eventually affect production. Chemical fertilizer usage per acre has also increased, according to the survey.

Moreover, the survey suggests that milk and fish production have decreased.