GUWAHATI
Subsistence farming in Arunachal Pradesh is fast transitioning from jhum or shifting cultivation to settled agriculture, a new study brought out by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Export Promotion Council (EPC) and the Confederation of Organic Food Products and Marketing Agencies said.
The study, titled ‘Arunachal Pradesh Investment, Growth, and Development with Immense Opportunities with Asian Countries’, was released in Itanagar on Wednesday.
D.S. Rawat, Chairperson of the MSME EPC said the farmers of the frontier State were slowly “tapping the untapped opportunities” in commercial agriculture and floriculture. “Maintaining this trend will help the farming community enhance their income and provide sustainable livelihood,” he said.
This is a welcome change from the jhum or slash-and-burn cultivation which entails farming on shaved-off hill slopes, a traditional practice now deemed unsustainable.
Data from the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy said new investment projects worth ₹56.46 crore were announced for Arunachal Pradesh during 2021-22, almost ₹30 crore less than the previous fiscal. The investments were in keeping with the State’s “huge potential” for agriculture, forest, and mineral-based micro, small, and medium enterprises.
According to the MSME Ministry, some 23,000 MSMEs in the State employ about 41,000 people.
Dr. Rawat cited the example of the State’s Papum Pare district, where MSMEs account for about 60% of the industrial units, 35% of manufacturing outfits, and 30% of the services sector.
“MSMEs have greater opportunities to grow as ancillary industries to unleash higher industrial growth. The sector being less capital intensive and more employment friendly has easier access to raw materials, subsidies, and other incentives,” he said.
The gradual shift to settled farming has seen the production of food grains, cereals and pulses in the State increase from 365.2 tonnes, 353.2 tonnes, and 12 tonnes, respectively, during 2018-19 to 388.2 tonnes, 373.7 tonnes, and 14.5 tonnes, respectively, during 2021-22, the study said.
The State also recorded a significant increase in the production of milk and milk products, and meat and eggs during these periods, the study said.
However, the sector faces many challenges and issues due to management-related factors, including production, marketing, human resources development, financial, technology, and infrastructure, Dr. Rawat said.
