Agricultural Development and Sources of Output Growth in Maharashtra State

In the present study, an attempt has has made to analyse agricultural growth and the contribution of various components to the overall output growth of the Maharashtra State for the period from 1961-62 to 1997-98. It has been observed that the growth in area of major crops in the state revealed a mixed trend. For the overall period of study, except jowar, hajra and wheat all other crops recorded a growth in area. The growth in production and productivity of all these crops was visibie in the second period (1971-72 to 1980-81), whereas commercial crops recorded remarkable increase during the third period (1981-82 to 1997-98) of the study. There has been growth in the use of crucial inputs like irrigation, chemical fertiliser and high yielding variety seeds. The growth in production of kharif jowar, paddy, bajra, rabijowar, wheat and cotton is mainly on account of change in yield, while production of gram, tur and sugarcane increased due to expansion of area. The productivity growth and shift in cropping pattern were major factors that accounted for the growth of crop output in the state.