West Bengal is predominantly an agrarian State. Comprising of only 2.7% of India's geographical area, it supports nearly 8% of its population. There are 71.23 lakh farm families of whom 96% are small and marginal farmers. The average size of land holding is only 0.77 ha. However, the State is bestowed with diverse natural resources and varied agro-climatic conditions which support cultivation of a wide range of crops. West Bengal ranks first in paddy and vegetable production in the country. It stands second in potato production (after Uttar Pradesh).  It is also the leading producer of jute, pineapple, litchi, mango and loose flowers. Cultivation of pulses, oilseeds and maize is also picking up fast.

The net cropped area is 52.05 lakh ha which comprises 68% of the geographical area and 92% of arable land. The cropping intensity is 184%. However, as the State is located in the humid tropic and the Bay of Bengal is close-by, it has to often face vagaries of nature like flood, cyclone, hailstorm etc. Though the State is has a surplus production of rice, vegetables and potato a huge gap exists between the requirement and production of pulses, oilseeds and maize. Deterioration of soil health due to imbalance in the use of chemical fertilizers, paucity of suitable improved varieties of seed, inadequate farm mechanization, unorganized marketing structure etc. are major challenges to agricultural growth.

Agro Industries :

Food Processing Sector :

In food and agro processing sector West Bengal is one of the three front running states in India. Agriculture contributes 30% in the SDP and employs 57% of the workforce. Fruits, vegetables and cereals grow in abundance in West Bengal. The state accounts for 30% of potatoes, 27% of pineapples, 12% of bananas and 16% of India’s rice production. Additionally fruits like mangoes, papays, guava and jackfruit and vegetables like tomatoes, cauliflowers, cabbage, brinjal, pumpkin, are available in plenty.

• Largest producer of rice, pineapple, vegetables and fruits in the country.
• Second largest producer of potatoes and lychees.
• Ranks 1st in total meat production (including poultry) in the country.
• Accounts for 10% of the country’s edible oil production.
• Substantial producer of spices, coconut, cashew nut, arecanut, betel vine and oilseeds.

West Bengal is also one of the leading states in pisciculture. Fish plays a major role in the Bengali client. The state has been awarded the 1st prize for 8 consecutive years for its achievements in the fishery sector. Some of the highlights are:

• Largest producer of fish in the country.
• Also the largest supplier of fish and supplies nearly 80% of the carp seed demand of the country.
• Highest producer of shrimps.
• Produces significant amount of fresh water fish.

Some of the key entrepreneurs in this industry and the State are:

• Ascon Agro PE & B Pvt. Ltd. a Pailan Group company who have entered into a joint venture with AFT/PB Counseil of France for setting up a food processing unit in Dhaniakhali, Hggghly to produce potato flakes.
• Dabur Limited has set up a food processing unit in North Bengal
• Frito-Lay a division of PepsiCo has set up a potato processing unit in Howrah.
• Companies like Unilever and Nestle have expressed interest to set up food processing units in the state.
• Arambagh Hatcheries was set up in 1975 and has grown by over 30% per year marketing poultry products and has also ventured into a chain of mini supermarkets selling groceries to cold meat and ready-to-cook food items.

Policies and Plans :

Agro & Food Processing Industries form a very important part of the State’s economy. The West Bengal Government is setting up a number of policies & plans to focus on the selected areas like vegetables, fruits, fisheries, rice, poultry, dairy & floriculture.

The major thrust areas of the policy are:

• Increase agricultural production & productivity vertically through wider adoption of appropriate eco-system-specific & cost effective technology.
• Bring more area under High Yielding Variety (HYV), hybrid & improved varieties of crops.
• Emphasize increase production of pulses & oil seeds in non-traditional areas & non-conventional seasons.
• Create employment opportunities in this sector to improve the socio-economic status of the farmers & also to remove sub-regional disparity.
• Extending soil-testing facilities up to district level for proper use of fertilizer.
• Post-harvest technology for reducing loss & better marketability.
• Bring cultivable waste land & fallow land under cultivation.
• Application of low cost technology for increasing production & productivity.
• More money involvement in agriculture.
• Encourage private entrepreneurship for processing of fruits, vegetables & horticultural items.
• Promote floriculture parks & flower complexes in the state.
• Other Business Process, knowledge Process and Engineering Process Outsourcing services
• The State Government is encouraging the farmers for mechanization through the use of modern agricultural implements & machines for timely farm operation & reduction in the cost of cultivation.

Floriculture :

Floriculture including ornamental plant production is an emerging industry in West Bengal with very high prospects. The state produces around 58,000 tonnes of flowers every year and has more than 10,000 acres of land devoted for that purpose.

Major flowers produced in the state are:

• Tuberose
• Gladiolus
• Rose
• Gerbera
• Carnation
• Cockscomb

Flowers in West Bengal are mainly grown in places like, Kalimpong, Panskura, Ranaghat, Thakurnagar, Bagnan and also other places around the state. West Bengal with its excellent logistics, research and extension support in floriculture trade has got huge potential to capture the booming export markets of Europe and Japan.

The countries which imports flowers from West Bengal :

• Holland
• Middle East ( mainly Sharjah )
• UK

The state government has undertaken several initiatives to boost this sector :

• The State has set up a floriculture park at Mungpoo in North Bengal, which will provide common infrastructure to the entrepreneurs. It will have cold storage facilities, grading / packaging room, tissue culture lab and refrigerated vans to collect flowers and then transport it.
• A mega flower mart in Mullickghat, Kolkata, is being set up at a cost of Rs 250 million with dedicated flower stalls, state-of-the-art cold chain infrastructure for preserving flowers and also plush stalls offering handicrafts and other ethnic treasures.
• There is comprehensive multi-storied flower market with facilities for cold storage at Panskura build at cost of more than US$ 1 million.
• The Department of Food Processing Industries and Horticulture, at Ranaghat, have developed a market complex.
• Another floriculture park is being developed at Jagulia near Haringhata in Nadia district which will have tow separate pack houses, one for flowers and one for vegetables, one exclusive nursery, and a commercial seed production farm.
• The government has recently received a US$ 33 million proposal for setting up an open air floriculture pack on 200 acres mainly to cultivate roses at Rajarhat, Kolkata.

Tea :

West Bengal is the second largest tea growing state in the countryl contributing almost 21% of the total production in the country. There are three tea-growing zones in the state.

• Darjeeling
• Terai
• Dooars

Darjeeling tea is considered to be the finest in the world. There are 343 tea gardns in West Bengal covering 1,03,950 hectares planted area.

Some of the major players in the Tea industry in West Bengal include Tata Tea Ltd, a US$ 178 million company which has a joint venture with UK based James Finlay & Company. Both of them together representing the world’s second largest global branded tea operations with product and brand presence in over 50 countries. Goodricke Group Ltd. (GGL) a part of the UK-based Cammelia Plc, the world’s single largest tea producer in the private sector. In India it is the third largest tea producer and the leading producer of Darjeeling tea. It has 30 gardens spread over 15,766 hectares. Williamoson Magor Group established in 1868 producing around 5 million tones of tea from its tea estate in Dooars; Duncan Group, which has 13 tea estates located in the Doors, Terai and Darjeeling, and who have recently started a concept of “branded loose tea retailing” to sell tea from their outlets.

Conclusion :

West Bengal agriculture has been flourishing heavily and it has become one of the most essential part in West Bengal's economy as it has been fueling it with its high productivity as well as export trade in some sectors.