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Indian Economy

Notes they command. India is a low-chemical fertiliser utilising country, especially in the rain-
fed regions, north eastern and hill areas. India has, hence, good opportunity to take up
production of organic foods for exports and domestic use. In this relation, the Tenth Plan
motivated organic fertilisers use in agriculture by transforming farm waste and municipal
solid waste into good quality compost/manure.

6.2.8 Pattern of Outlay on Agriculture in the Tenth Plan

The Tenth Plan aimed 8 per cent rate of growth in GDP and accordingly, assessed the needed
level of investment (at 2001-02 prices) of ` 15,92,300 crore in the public sector – this was 67%
increase over the Ninth Plan outlay. As relation to agriculture, the Tenth Plan set a target growth
rate of 4% per annum during the Plan period, and increased Plan allocations on agriculture and
allied sectors, rural development, special area programmes and irrigation as well as flood
control.

Table 6.3: Plan Allocation on Agriculture

Ninth Plan Tenth Plan Eleventh Plan
Amount % Amount % Amount %
(` crore) (` crore) (` crore)
1. Agriculture and allied activities, rural 1,76,217m 20.5 3,05,055 20.0 6,74,105 18.5
development, special area Irrigation
and flood control
2. Total Plan outlay 8,59,200 100.0 15,25,639 100.0 36,44,718 100.0

Source: Indian Economy, Datt and Sundharam, S. Chand
The public sector outlay on agriculture as well as allied activities irrigation and flood control,
rural development and special area programme which was of the order of ` 1,76,217 crore in the
Ninth Plan, enhanced to ` 3,05,055 crore in the Tenth Plan which was 20% of the total Plan outlay;
this was nearly the same as that in the Ninth Plan. In fact, as stressed earlier, public sector outlay
on agriculture irrigation and others has varied between around 20 and 24% of the total outlay in
all the Plans. It may be observed that if we take agriculture and allied activities solely, public
sector outlay has been handling 4.9 per cent of total outlay in ninth plan, 3.9% in tenth plan
projected expenditure an agriculture and allied activities in simply 3.7% of total plan outlay in
11th plan.

Targets of Crop Production in the Tenth Plan

The Tenth Plan was the earliest Plan which did not fix targets of crop production.

For each Plan, the Planning Commission used to:
(a) the rate of growth in the agricultural sector as a whole,
(b) the planned target growth of production in each main crop namely, sugar-cane, cereals,
pulses, oilseeds, cotton, jute and so on,
(c) the targets of production of main inputs like seeds, fertilizers, irrigation etc., and
(d) the strategy to be adopted to attain the targets of crop production generally and the rate of
growth in agriculture in particular.
The Tenth Plan was a clear departure from this conventional presentation. It explained the
achievement/non-achievement of the Ninth Plan (Table 6.4).

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