Gujarat posts record 16% growth in agriculture in FY11

Gujarat posted a record 16.63% growth in agriculture during 2010/11, way above the national average growth that hovered around 4%, the state assembly was informed on Monday.

Agriculture minister Dilip Snaghani said on Monday in the assembly that the state's agriculture growth for 2010-11 was 16.63% compared to national average of 4%.

Speaking during discussion on the budgetary demands of agriculture and related segments, the minister said that "Gujarat's average agriculture growth rate in the decade of 2001-2010 has been 10.67% and for the year 2010-11 the growth has been 16.63%."

The agriculture income for the year 2010-11 was estimated at Rs80,000 crore compared to only Rs14,663 crore in 2000-01, he added.

Congress state unit president and Porbander MLA Arjun Modhvadia objected to the figures given by the minister alleging that he was giving selective figures to the assembly. However, the objection was overruled by the speaker.

Meanwhile, during the discussion, the minister charged that the Union government was adopting dual standards with regard to export of cotton and mutton what with the Centre encouraging export of mutton by giving subsidies while creating hurdles for farmers of Gujarat by banning export of cotton.