Agriculture of Bihar

Bihar is situated in the plains of the Ganges River basin. It has abundant groundwater resources and alluvial soil that is fruitful. As a result, Bihar's agriculture is both rich and diverse. The three main cereal crops are maize, wheat, and rice. Pulses such as arhar, urad, moong, gram, pea, lentils, and khesari are grown in Bihar. The main vegetables produced in Bihar include potatoes, onions, eggplants, and cauliflower. In terms of fruit production, it is the third-largest producer of pineapple, the largest producer of Lychee, and a significant producer of mango, banana, and guava. Jute and sugarcane are two more important income crops in Bihar. Read more about the agriculture of Bihar from Bihar GK and in this article in detail.

Major Crops in Bihar

The major crops of Bihar are classified into three categories: food grains, cash crops, and horticultural crops. Among food grains, rice is the most important crop, especially grown during the Kharif season. Other staple food grains include wheat, maize, and pulses like lentils and gram. Maize is cultivated in both Kharif and Rabi seasons and has seen a sharp increase in production in recent years.

In terms of cash crops, sugarcane, jute, and oilseeds like mustard and sunflower are prominent. Sugarcane farming is widespread in north Bihar due to its suitable climate and irrigation facilities.

Bihar is also known for its horticulture. It produces large quantities of litchi, mango, banana, and guava, especially in districts like Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur.

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Cropping System of Bihar

The cropping pattern in bihar Bihar is shaped by its fertile alluvial soil, abundant water resources, and a subtropical monsoon climate. 60% of Bihar's total land area has been planted. This proportion is significantly higher than the 42% national average for India. It is possible to have such a high proportion of cultivated land for two reasons. Firstly, Bihar is primarily a plain region that is good for agriculture. Second, over the previous 2000 years, the majority of the forest had been turned into agriculture. Currently, just 6% of the territory is covered by forests.

While North Bihar is constrained by its geographical vulnerability to floods and drought, South Bihar is a prosperous agricultural hub. Crops have been raised using the Ahar-Pyne agricultural method for a very long time in the south.

Food Grains of Bihar

In all of Bihar's districts, rice is grown. Three different types of rice are grown at three different times of the year: autumn rice, Aghani rice, and summer rice. Around 5 million tonnes of rice are produced annually on average. Wheat cultivation was largely confined to western Bihar areas fifty years ago. Following the success of the "green revolution," Bihari farmers grew wheat on a wider scale, and it is now considered the main crop of the rabi (spring) season. 

Production of wheat ranges from 4 to 4.5 million metric tons annually. Additionally, maize is grown, with an average annual production level of roughly 1.5 million metric tons and a consistent upward trend in output. Khagaria and Saharsa are the main producing areas. Southern Bihar produces more pulses than northern Bihar does, including moong, arhar, peas, and khesari. Patna, Bhojpur, Aurangabad, and Nalanda are the top districts.

Horticulture of Bihar

With a share of the national production of 9.8 and 6.7 percent, respectively, Bihar is one of India's top producers of fruits and vegetables. In terms of producing vegetables and fruits, it comes in third and sixth place among other states, respectively.

Fruticulture of Bihar

One of the biggest fruit and vegetable growers in the nation is Bihar. 71% of India's annual litchi production is produced in Bihar. 90% of the world's fox nuts are made from makhana, which is cultivated on roughly 5000 hectares nationwide. In terms of fruit production, it ranks third for pineapple production and ranks highly for mango, banana, and guava. Few farmers in Bihar are switching to strawberry farming because of the higher financial returns. Additionally, a higher economic return has encouraged farmers to grow kamalam (dragon fruit). One of the most expensive crops in the world, corrigendum, is now grown by a small number of farmers in Bihar.

Vega Culture of Bihar

Approximately 11% of the state's gross sown area is currently covered by vegetable farming, and that percentage is rising. Potato, onion, tomato, cauliflower, and brinjal are among the major vegetable crops. The last week of September saw an early kind of cauliflower arrive on the market in Hajipur, Vaishali. Vegetable production is evenly distributed across the districts, with some districts having a production emphasis. Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, West Champaran, East Champaran, Katihar, and Begusarai are the other districts with substantial shares in total vegetable output, in addition to Patna and Nalanda (Jehanabad), where vegetable production is fairly vast.

Animal husbandry of Bihar

To oversee the activities of numerous regional milk unions, the Dairy Co-operative was established in 1983. The largest automation-based dairy plant in eastern India, Nalanda, was officially launched by the government in 2013. The White Revolution led to the founding of Sudha. The organization agreed in January 2021 to open two new dairy factories with a combined capacity of 2 lakh liters per day in the districts of Bhagalpur and Purnea by the end of the next three to four months. The establishment of new plants would contribute to the region's milk farmers earning more money. 

The Bihar government began operating a dairy facility with a daily capacity of 5 lakh liters and a 300 MT animal feed mill in Bihian in 2020. Out of a total of Rs 234 crore, the government had given Comfed the first installment of Rs 53 crore for the construction of dairy facilities and animal feed factories throughout the state. Before extending its reach to other Northeastern states in 2018, Bihar State Milk Cooperative Federation, often known as Sudha, intended to consolidate its market in Guwahati. 

Statistics of Bihar

• Maize of Bihar accounts for 10% of country production, i.e.., 1.5 million MT. 
• Bihar produces 13.00 million MT of Sugar cane. 
• Bihar contributes 71% of national Litchi production. Bihar produces 0.28 million MT of Litchi. 
• Bihar contributes 85% of national Makhana production, i.e.. 0.003 million MT.
• Bihar produces 1.4 million MT of Mango i.e.. 13% of country production.
• Bihar produces 9% of Vegetables of India. It produces 8.60 million MT of Vegetables. 
• Bihar produces 1300 MT of Honey, i.e.. 14% of All India.
• Bihar produces 0.015 million MT of Aromatic rice.
• The Fishery production levels of the state is 0.27 million lakh MT

Major Crops of Bihar: Botanical Names and Economic Value

Crop	Botanical Name	Economic Value
Rice	Oryza sativa	Staple food; main Kharif crop; essential for food security and rural employment.
Wheat	Triticum aestivum	Key Rabi crop; used for flour; supports food economy and trade.
Maize	Zea mays	Dual-season crop; used for food, fodder, ethanol, and industrial products.
Lentil	Lens culinaris	High-protein food; improves soil health via nitrogen fixation.
Sugarcane	Saccharum officinarum	Supports sugar and ethanol industries; major rural livelihood source.
Jute	Corchorus capsularis	Used in textiles and packaging; earns export revenue.
Mustard	Brassica juncea	Major oilseed crop; used in cooking oil and livestock feed.
Litchi	Litchi chinensis	Premium fruit; major export from Muzaffarpur; boosts farmer income.
Mango	Mangifera indica	Consumed fresh and processed; economically vital for horticulture sector.
Banana	Musa paradisiaca	Year-round fruit; valuable for both fresh sale and agro-processing industries.

Problems of Agriculture in Bihar

Though the state of Bihar is one of the largest producers of vegetables and fruits, there are also a number of problems of agriculture in Bihar. The state faces the following issues, which prevent it from reaching its full potential:

• Uneven Monsoon
• Farmers are forced to sell their goods for less than they are worth since there aren't enough marketing and food processing facilities.
• Most farmers, particularly small and marginal farmers, lack access to high-quality seeds as a result of the exorbitant costs of seeds.
• Weeds
• The investment in the agricultural industry has become a challenge because of the high risk and unpredictability in the agro-climatic zones, prices, production, etc.

Agriculture Department of Bihar

Follow the list to get in touch with the important office bearers of Agriculture Department of Bihar

Designation	Name	Phone No.	Email ID
Agricultural Minister of Bihar	Shri Kumar Sarvjeet	0612-2231212	-
Principal Secretary	Dr. B. Rajender, I.A.S.	0612-2215373	agridep-bih@nic.in
Agriculture Director-cum-MD, BRBN	Dr. Aditya Prakash, I.A.S.	0612-2215895 / 9431818704	diragri.bih@gmail.com , diragri-bih@nic.in
Director, Horticulture -cum- Mission Director, SHM & BFVDCL	Sri Nand Kishor , I.F.S.	0612-2521772 / 9431818923	dir-bhds-bih@nic.in , horticulture.bihar@gmail.com
Joint Secretary	Sri Anil Kumar Jha, I.A.S.	9431818719	anilagriculture@gmail.com

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