Unemployment and Agriculture Sector: An Overview of Nagaland

Dr. Marchang Reimeingam

Published: Morung Express, Nagaland, 7^th December 2009

The problem of unemployment and improper utilization of already available manpower are very serious and challenging. The problem of increasing population which induces to raise unemployment be treated differently in developed and developing areas. The ever increasing number of population is unable to get a decent job with respect to their acquired education which creates a situation called unemployment. Unemployment problem is more severe among the educated than for general. It is also more severe in urban areas than in rural areas because the level is considerably lower in rural areas than urban areas. This is due to the fact that majority of the rural workers can easily engage in agriculture sector. Majority of the educated unemployed are seeking jobs in non-agriculture sector. In the process many of them migrate towards urban areas from rural areas as their place of origin is unable to trap them in the limited avenues of non-agriculture sector. However, due to the lack of accessibility many of them remain in their own place. Subsequently, many of fresh entrants in the labour market are pressed in agriculture sector. As a result the density in the agriculture sector has eventually increased over the years in Nagaland.

Agricultural workers (AW) as a ratio to geographical areas has increased by 7 persons to 35 (AW per sq. km) in 2001 over the last decade. Also AW as a ratio to food grain areas has increased by 0.49 persons to 2.75 (AW per hectares) during the same period; portraying a decline in the per capita availability of land for agricultural purposes. The increase in the density is a consequence of rapid growth of population, unavailability of new arable land, overt unemployment among the AW and unemployment in non-agricultural sector to mention few.

According to available NSS data the share of AW in the total workers (usually working persons in the principal status and subsidiary status taken together) has increased by 1.1 percentage point (PP) to 69.6 percent for rural male workers in 2004-05 over 1993-94. The same PP of 1.1 percent has increased for rural females to 90.4 percent during the same period. The situation is worse for urban females as the share has increased sharply by 13.1 PP to 28.5 percent; however, for urban males it has moderately increased by 0.8 PP to 5.3 percent during the same period. The increasing share of AW indicates an inability to provide employment in the non-agricultural sector for the growing labour supply which is a serious issue to be considered by the policy makers. The traditional subsistence agricultural crops must be replaced or substituted with high return cash crops keeping in mind the sustainability of the environment.

The problem of unemployment in Nagaland is worsening over the years particularly among the females. It is hitting hard in urban areas as well specifically for females. According to NSS, usual principal status of unemployment rate has increased by 3.8 PP to 5.9 percent for rural males in 2004-05 over 1993-94. In case of rural females, it has increased from a negligible rate to 3.3 percent. For urban males the rate has showed a declined by (–) 1.9 PP to mere 5.0 percent. The problem for urban females is worse as the rate has significantly increased by 6.5 PP touching to 13.5 percent. The problem of unemployment among the youth (15-29 years) is even worse as the prevalence of unemployment rates is much higher than the general rate of unemployment. Both unemployment rates and the share of agricultural workers have increased indicating a positively correlation particularly in rural areas. With an increase in unemployment rate underemployment in agriculture sector must have increased lowering the per capita production.

Unemployment rate is higher in urban areas due to factors like higher educational attainment, higher wage, higher concentration of non-agricultural employment, better infrastructure, rural to urban migration, etc. Migration take place due to various push factors such as economic insecurity etc. and pull factors like job prospect etc. In real world, migrant’s expected marginal productivity of labour is higher than the non-migrants. Because of this reason the rural-urban migration is a primary phenomenon particularly for the landless, marginalized, poor and most importantly the educated. The large share of workers engagement in agriculture, although raise its density, has somehow solve the problem of unemployment in rural areas; however, aggravated in urban areas. In long run, it will intensify the unemployment problem in rural areas. Unemployment rate could be lowered by the development of infrastructures, proper functioning of government policies, efficient and effective programmes and policies implementation and adequate people’s participation. The increasing unemployment rates calls forth to realization for self employment. With the introduction of various Government employment generation schemes like National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Indira Awas Yojana, etc. unemployment problem is somehow reduced.   

It can be summarized that the growing unemployment problem is a result of growing population which supply new entrants in the labour market on one hand; and unable to provide adequate non-agricultural employment by the state policy makers on other hand. As a consequence they are press on to agriculture sector raising agricultural density and agricultural employment. The situation demands more employment schemes in order to eradicate unemployment problems and for State’s prosperity.

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For citation: Marchang Reimeingam, Unemployment and Agriculture Sector: An Overview of Nagaland, Morung Express, Nagaland, 7^th December 2009.