Foodgrains

The foodgrains production performance indicates that the bulk of the increases has been coming essentially from improvement in productivity. Another salient feature of the performance has been that a much greater resilience has been achieved on the foodgrains production front.

Horticulture crops

A wide diversity of climate and soils provide conducive environment for growing a range of horticultural crops with great scope for employment generation. The production in horticulture sector is estimated at 100 million tonnes per annum, contributing to over 18% of the gross agricultural output in the country. India is the third largest producer of fruits after Brazil and U.S.A. In respect of vegetables, India is only next to China.
Mango, Banana, Citrus, Guavaand Apple account for about 75-80% of production.Import of seeds and planting material of all horticulture crops has been permitted to improve the seed supply.

Agricultural Inputs

Seeds :Many of the programme alts initiated in the earlier years for increasing the availability of quality seeds.
Fertiliser : The consumption of fertilisers (N+.P+K) which increased from 5.5 million tonnes of nutrients to 8.2 million tonnes.
Plant Protection : Though the use of pesticides in the country is relatively low, it was decided to launch an Integrated Pest Management Programme (IPM) based on the use of biotic agents for control of pests and taking up treatment based on need rather than as prophyl-atic action.
Agricultural Implements and Machinery : Three Central sector schemes for Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institutes at Budni, Hissar and Anantpur were continued in the Seventh Plan. Efforts were also made to popularise improved agricultural implements.

Soil and Water Conservation

Under this schemes oh soil conservation in the catchments of inter-State river valley projects, and the flood prone rivers, reclamation of alkaline (usar) soil, control of shifting cultivation and development of ravine areas were taken up. Soil and water conservation activity in 27 catchments taken up in 17 States covered 2.4 million hectares by the end of the Seventh Plan with a reported expenditure ofRs. 307crores.

Animal Husbandry

Animal husbandry is one of the important sub sector of agricultural economy and plays a significant role in the rural economy by providing gainful employment particularly to the small/marginal farmers, women and agricultural landless labourers. This sector also provides milk, eggs, meat, wool, hides and skin, dung, bones, hooves and draught power. Manures and slaughter house by-products are also sources of energy.
Animal health care services were provided through poiyclinics, hospitals, dispensaries and veterinary aid centres, besides mobile dispensaries under the Operation Flood Project. Disease diagnostic facilities at State laboratories were strengthened. Biological units for production of vaccines to prevent various animal diseases were setup. Bio-tech-nology centres on animal health and production were established.

Fisheries

The major constraints were over-concentration on shrimp fishing, non-exploitation of unconventional fishery resources in the marine sector and slow progress in the expansion of extensive and semi-intensive aquacul-ture systems in the inland and brackish-water fisheries. Processing and marketing facilities for sea food and inland fish were inadequate. To overcome these difficulties, adequate attention was paid during the Seventh Plan through incentives and regulatory measures and fish production.