Agricultural productivity and resource use efficiency in the hills of North-East India-a case study of Arunachal Pradesh

Present study examines growth in productivity and resource use efficiency in production of food crops in Arunachal Pradesh, a hilly state of North-East India. Agriculture is an important sector of the state's economy. Though the contribution of agriculture in GDP of the state has declined to less the 20%, it still accounts for around 60% of employment. The arable land in the state is limited owing to hilly and mountainous topography. So, there is a need to improve productivity to raise income of farmers and promote rural development. The analysis of data showed that productivity of food grains in the state was lower than national average. At the same time, compound annual rate of growth (CARG) in productivity was low. The regression analysis indicated that there is inefficient allocation of resources by the farmers in the hill agriculture. The study suggests for improving extension services to disseminate new technology in the rural areas, introducing HYV seeds, improved planting material, and adoption of new technologies for improving productivity.