Reimeingam Marchang
Khanrin, TKLD, Jun-Aug 2005
Let us explore and examine briefly the agricultural economy prevailing in Ukhrul. Ukhrul is changing rapidly in terms of education, attitude, life style and more importantly occupation to mention few aspects. Traditional agricultural system – use of spade, dependence on monsoon, low productivity, etc. – is still playing a vital role for livelihood for cultivators and agricultural labourers. The introduction and adoption of the modern agricultural system – use of improved and high yielding seeds; use of mechanical devices for ploughing, harvesting, etc.; use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or insecticides; etc. – is still a distant dream. The yields are low and are increasingly dwindling due to the decline of soil fertility. Consequently the quality of production is also diminishing. Most of the producers produce for self-consumption with no marketable surplus, which often argued as a ‘self-subsistence’ in production.
The introduction of formal education, which yields more return than engagement in farm-work, has reduced the tendency to engage in agricultural activities. This leads to the shift in occupation from agriculture to non-agriculture sector. In the process of educational development the mortality rate declines resulting to the growth of population which fuels the unemployment problem. The rate of unemployment was only 0.61 percent in 1991 in Ukhrul (R., Marchang, Dissertation Unpublished, JNU, 2003). Un/employment problem is a man made disaster because every additional population reduces the land-man ratio since land is fixed, and because to every level of educational attainment there is no assurance for employment. This, in long-run, raise the magnitude of disguised educated agricultural unemployment and social unrest.
The era of globalisation, which attempts to diminish the importance of geographical boundaries, increases the mobility of labours but restricted in certain avenues like skilled jobs. Agricultural labours are less mobile; however products are not. Agriculture marketable products from Ukhrul are probably not economic in terms of quantity produced. This does not liberate from low agricultural income, in other words, capability for capital formation from agriculture is near zero. To get relief from such situation creative and innovative ideas and formulation of agricultural planning towards surplus marketable and profitable cash crops with minimal gestation period needs to be introduced.
While most of the economies of the world are competing in the ‘rat race’, ironically, Ukhrul’s economy remains stagnant due to various reasons such as too ‘diluted’ developmental planning, and improper policy formulation and implementation. Thus, the economy of Ukhrul is underdeveloped coupled with the closely knitted social system. The onus to cater economic development seemingly lies in the ‘political stability’. Or conversely it can be argued that the economic soundness will boost the political stability.
The economy is still predominant by agriculture. In the year 2001 (Census) as large as 73.26 percent of the workers (main plus marginal) were engaged as cultivators and agricultural labourers. This figure was higher by 3.46 percent in the previous decade (1991). Thus there was a shift of employment from agriculture to non-agriculture. The shift of employment to other sector is primarily due to the rapidly growing population which reduces the man-land ratio, and due to developmental work taking place like in construction, transportation, retail, etc. Population was growing at the alarming rate of 28.98 percent, that is to be controlled, during the decade of 1991-2001. Importantly, the depicted sectoral distribution of employment does not mean that the same/similar percentage share is being contributed in the ‘income’.
Most economists would probably agree that it is the ‘human resources’ not its capital or material resources, that ultimately determine the character and pace of its economic and social development. Education – one of the development indicators – is an integral part of human resources. The growth of education plays an important role in changing the nature of employment. Educational attainment is growing rapidly as human foresee its importance for the enhancement of production. Although educational gap between the regions persist it is significantly narrowing down between the genders. This is mainly due to the increasing necessary demand condition setup in modern labour market and transformation from agricultural labour.
The transfer of labour from low productivity agricultural (literate/educated) sector to non-agriculture sector is attributed by an increase in literacy – crude measure of education – rates. In Ukhrul the rate has increased from 62.54 in 1991 to 68.96 percent in 2001. However even at cent percent literacy rates the agricultural worker will continue to prevail.
If provisions of food-security and assurance of alternative mode of living is not delivered – possibly by Government! – the traditional agriculture system with low productivity will continue. People are sustaining lives with their inherited land property where size of holdings are mostly uneconomic particularly permanent-land. An augmentation of agricultural production irrespective of crops – cash or consumption – with an adoption of ‘sophisticated inputs’ is yet to be realized due to non affordability. Presumably the production of cash crop is negligible.
No wonder with relatively high level of education there is a wide absence of incorporation of education in agriculture. There are some developed economies which are agriculture based. Needless to say that Ukhrul’s economy can also develop by agriculture. Not only production of cereal or vegetable but also animal husbandry, fishery, poultry or piggery, etc., though capital intensive, are profitable and good areas (best for non-vegetable loving people like Nagas).... This will generate employment as well as income particularly for the semi-skilled and semi-educated. Further it will relay to manufacturing industry, food processing, services, etc. for the skilled and educated. This means that agricultural development will lead to overall development
It is not too late to give a sincere effort to improve agriculture system – from inputs to productions – since it is the predominant occupation. Ukhrul has been experiencing a disheartening trend that the product(s) which is/are produced by some farmer(s) if overheard that it is beneficial in terms of output or it is fetching well in the market then almost every farmers start growing the same product without any apprehension of slashing down of the market price due to the inconsistency in the supply and demand of product. It indicates the non-existence of market or product – perishable – information, along with the unavailability of cold-storage facility, government procurer at support price, etc., which rendered farmers’ products to loss. This highlights the requirement of efficient dissemination of market information with other facilities. This also calls forth for diverse cropping/production system.
The mode of rice – main-stay of Ukhrul people – cultivation is also in the near primitive stage using no ‘high yielding’ and ‘improved’ varieties of seeds. The type of rice cultivation is mostly jhum (91.94 percent) and the other type is permanent including terrace (8.06) during 2000-01 (Directorate of Economic and Statistics, Manipur, 2001). Rice production is inadequate thereby resulting to import tonnes of foodgrains every year to supplement the need. This does not permit to appropriately term the economy as self-subsistence. Moreover, the lowering of jhum production due to reduction of cycle threatens the economic viability of jhum cultivators. The implication is to change the crop unto more economically productive with similar gestation period, also maintain sustainable agriculture. If people are converting barren to cultivable land it is always possible to utilize efficiently the available present cultivated fertile land for maximum profitable production.
We can sum up that despite the growth of education the main occupation continues to be agriculture with negligible marketable surplus product. Agriculture system is still near primitive stage. At present products to supply cannot meet the demand, therefore, self-subsistence is an invalid argument. For self-subsistence time demands effortless creative and innovative ideas and execution into practice so as to augment production with sustainability so as to lead towards development.
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For
citation: Marchang Reimeingam, Agrarian Economy of Ukhrul: A
Critical Appraisal, Khanrin, TKLD,
Delhi, Jun-Aug 2005.
