Agriculture has been the backbone of the economy of Bihar since a long time. Irrespective of the fact that Bihar has a rugged topography which sometimes proves to be unfavorable for
agriculture,
agriculture has been the only means of survival.
Agriculture in Bihar witnesses two different agricultural season. To name them:
- Kharif season - It starts from the month of May and lasts till the end of October.
- Rabi season - The intervening period between the Kharif season is the Rabi season.
Moreover, the important crops and vegetables that form a constituent of
agriculture in Bihar are:
- Rice
- Paddy
- Wheat
- Jute
- Maize
- Oil Seeds
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Tomato
- Radish
- Carrot
- Beat
- Sugarcane
- Potato
- Barley, etc.
Although,
agriculture has been the source of wealth in the economy of Bihar for a long time; yet it is through this sole dependence that the state has become impoverished. The problem of uneconomic holdings, along with the fragmentation, viz. dividing the holding of most of the farmers, adding to the labor of the cultivators, decreasing the efficiency of the cultivators, etc, has been some of the set-backs.
But, in recent years, the initiative taken by the State government has worked wonders for the economy of Bihar. This, ultimately, has resulted in the enhancement of the
agriculture in the state.
Improved methods of
agriculture like the introduction of machinery and the use of manures have really blown the
agriculture in Bihar up. Yet there are factors that are proving fatal to the economy of Bihar, viz.:
- Passive resistance by the inhabitants, and
- Many conservative prejudices.
Yet it is noteworthy that the Bihar government has not succumbed to the local pressure. The constant effort on part of the government has really improved the prospects of
agriculture in Bihar. Besides, the introduction of the non-agricultural sources of employment has also led to the drastic upheaval of the economy of Bihar in recent times.
