AGRICULTURE: Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. The main form of cultivation is Jhum which means, Shifting cultivation. In Jhum field, Paddy, Millet, Maize,Taro or Kuchhu, (colocasea) French bean, potato, pumkin, cucumber, chilly and several varities of gourd are grown.Terrace cultivation is practiced along the banks of Tizu, Tsutha and Mela, a tributary of Tizu river. However, terrace cultivation, hardly occupies about 20% of the cultivable land.The yield of paddy per hectre under Jhum cultivation is much lower than the production per hectre under Terrace cultivation. There is however, great scope for increasing the yield per hectre through extending the cultivation to new area, increasing irrigation facilities, use of HYVseeds, fertilisers and through soil and water conservation measures.
Most of the cultivated land belong to the village chief or few individuals. Land are given to the landless individuals for cultivation on tenancy basis in rotation. The average size of holding varies between 1.0 hectre to 45 hectres : except,where land is converted into bench Terrace, the ownership of the land is vested with the villages. Use of land and its inheritance is governed by inherited customary unwritten laws and decision taken by the Head G.B. is final.
The important reasons for poor productivity in the agriculture are :-
1.Due to absence of ownership right of the individuals in the cultivated land and the farmer's lack of interest and enthusiasm to make any improvement of permanent nature to the land holdings.
2.Practice of Jhuming as main form of cultivation and non adoption of improved agricutlural practices.
3.Poor fertility of soil due to fast run off and erosion.
4.Complete dependence on rainfall during summer, which facilitates only one crop.
There is urgent need to concentrate on certain aspects to improve the productivity by way of diversifying farming into new area, by providing Agri link roads and also by extending the area under settled cultivation. The department is also undertaking the following major projects:-
1.Agri link roads:- So far 17 agri link roads were constructed connecting the potential agricultural area funded by NABARD.
2. NWDPRA - national Water shed Development Programme for Rainfed Area. So far 10 Projects are under implementation.
3. ICDP - Integrated Cereal Development Programme.
4. NCDP - National Pulses Development Programme.
5. OPP - Oil seeds Production programme.
6. AMDP - Accelerated Maize Development Programme.
The department declared the year of 2001 as year of Rice and Maize where addittional area covered under rice was 510 Ha. and maize was 467 Ha. with the production of 1352. and 1307.6MT of rice and maize respectively.
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