Food Security in North-East Region of India — A State-wise Analysis

Abstract

With the adoption of high-yielding varieties of paddy, the foodgrains production has increased in North-East region of India. To estimate the growth performance of agriculture, time series data on area, production and productivity of foodgrains have been analysed for the period 1972–73 to 2011–12, which was divided into three decades, viz. 1982–83 to 1991–92 (I decade), 1992–93 to 2001–02 (II decade), 2002–03 to 2011–12 (III decade) and overall period 1972–73 to 2011–12. During the overall period, among the states, Nagaland registered the highest significant growth in area, production and yield, followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. All the NE states have shown positive growth rates in area, production and yield increase. The decomposition analysis of growth has suggested that sources of output growth were almost same in all the periods. During the first decade, the major contribution in the change of foodgrain production in the region was of area effect (74.8%), followed by yield effect (22.8%), whereas in all-India, the yield effect was 71 per cent. During the second period, the region had almost half sharer (50.3%) of area effect in food security, followed by yield effect (42.7%). In the third decade, yield effect was the major contributing factor to food security of the region (98.6%), except of Nagaland and Sikkim where major contribution has been found of area effect.