MAJOR CROPS
Field
crops, which accounted for 50 percent of agricultural output in
1993, increased at an annual average rate of 8 percent between
1961 and 1993. Agricultural production was still dominated by
seven major crops: rice, tapioca, rubber, maize, sugar-cane, mung
beans and tobacco leaves , most of which were grown primarily for
export.
Since
1970 the increase in crop production have come from both the
expansion of cultivated areas and improvements in yields. In
response to high agricultural prices, the total area planted has
continued to increase. Furthermore, farmers are switching from
crops with relatively low returns per hectare to those with higher
earnings. Performance, however, varies considerably: sugar-cane,
rubber and tapioca yields have been increasing significantly, rice
and maize yields growing slowly, and kenaf yield declining. The
trend towards crop diversification continues in response to price
incentives as the proportion of cropped area devoted to rice
declines.
Although
the national average rice yield has remained low , recent trend
clearly indicates certain structural changes in production. At
present, rice cultivation is undertaken in intensive irrigated
areas, wet-season irrigated areas, and rainfed areas. Intensive
irrigated areas, which enable farmers to produce at least two
crops a year, increased phenomenally from 407,488 hectares in
1977/78 to 4,240,000 hectares in 1992/93.
Furthermore,
there is ample evidence that yields in both intensive and wet-season
irrigated areas have risen sharply during the past five years.
About four million hectares of paddy land now benefit from wet-season
flood control to keep fields free of excess water which would
damage crops. Nevertheless, the remaining six million hectares
represent rice production in rainfed areas where limited access to
modern technology and inputs results in low yields.
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