Adequate and balanced fertilization: the key to food grain sufficiency in Jharkhand

The newly formed state of Jharkhand with an area of 8.0 million hectares and population of over 22 million covers the hilly tract of Chotanagpur and Santhal Parganas regions. The state has about 2.2 million hectares of net cultivated area with only 9 percent irrigated. The region is primarily mono-cropped with rice, with smaller areas under ragi (finger millet), maize and wheat. The productivity of these crops is very low. Estimated average production of food grains is 0.9 t/ha from a cropped area of 2.2 million hectares. Total food grain production is only 1.969 million tonnes (Mt), against the desired 3.973 Mt to feed about 22 million people, a shortfall of over 2 Mt. A yield increase to 1.7 t/ha is required to make up this shortfall.

Crop	Agro-climatic Zones of Jharkhand
	IV		V		VI
	Area ('000 ha)	Yield (kg/ha)	Area ('000 ha)	Yield (kg/ha)	Area ('000 ha)	Yield (kg/ha)
Rice	836.0	1130	328.5	690	330.0	450
Ragi	43.7	770	-	-	1.0	360
Maize	117.0	1300	41.6	800	6.7	810
Wheat	92.0	1600	14.0	650	1.9	660
Red gram	8.6	1140	17.0	750	0.6	740
Niger	12.3	400	19.3	370	2.0	270

Source: Sarkar, A. K. (2001), Fertiliser News, 46(4), pp. 103-107.

Current estimates on nutrient balance show that the NPK requirement is 0.246 Mt, but nutrient addition is only about 0.065 Mt. Thus there is a negative balance of 0.18 Mt of NPK annually (0.12, 0.045 and 0.015 Mt of N, P2O5 and K2O, respectively) at current food grain production levels. With intensification of agriculture in the state, to meet projected increases in population and their food grain requirement, plant nutrient mining from the soil is bound to increase, unless remedial measures are taken. Without such measures. the soil will be rendered unproductive in the long run. Thus, soil test based plant nutrient applications, in balanced and adequate amounts, is necessary for sustainability of the land. This will ensure present and future food grain sufficiency for the state.