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Major Findings of the Situation Assessment Survey, NSSO, 2013 AGRICULTURE AND ALLIED SECTORS

• 90.2 million households ie; 57.8 per cent of the total estimated rural households are agricultural
households . Kerala had the least percentage share of agricultural households in the country
ie; 27.3 per cent

• With regard to source of income, 63.5 per cent of the agricultural households reported
agriculture as the principal source of income, while 22 per cent reported wage /salary as the
principal source. In Kerala 61 per cent of the agricultural households reported to have earned
income from activities other than agricultural activities . Mere 16 per cent reported cultivation
as main source of income and 0.6 per cent reported livestock as main source of income.

• Source of income was determined by the extent of land possession. Household with
i. Less than 0.01ha of land-wage /salary and livestock was main source of income
ii. Greater than 0.40 ha –cultivation was the main source
iii. Between 0.01 ha to 0.4 ha land- wage salary as well as cultivation main source
• All the major states except Kerala reported agricultural activity (cultivation, livestock and other

activity) as principal source of income.
• 93 per cent of the agricultural households in the country possessed some other land other

than homesteads. While less than 7 per cent possessed only homesteads. With regard to
states except Kerala, Punjab, Tamilnadu, Gujarat and Haryana, 90 per cent of the agriculture
households had both homesteads and some land other than homesteads. In Kerala, 12.3 per
cent had only homestead.
• More than 65 percent of agricultural households of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal had MGNREG job card at the
time of the survey while in Kerala it was 42.9 per cent.
• With regard to indebtedness of agricultural households 52 per cent of the agricultural households
in the country were estimated to indebted, the average amount of loan outstanding being
` 47000/-. Shockingly for Kerala 77.7 per cent of the agricultural households were found to be
indebted, the average amount of loan to be a massive ` 213600/-, the highest in the country.
• At all India level, about 60 percent of the outstanding loans were taken from institutional
sources which included Government (2.1 percent), Co-operative society (14.8 percent) and
banks (42.9 percent). Among the non institutional sources, agricultural/ professional money
lenders (25.8 percent) had the major share in terms of outstanding loans. Share of institutional
loans increases with increase in land possessed.

The finidings of the survey could be considered in developing strategies for agricultural
development in the state for the revitalisation of the sector.

Monsoon 2014

2.5 The pre monsoon rainfall which is received in Kerala during March to May was normal this year
with a departure of -4 per cent from normal. The actual rainfall in Kerala during pre monsoon season
was 364.4 mm. Among the districts, Thiruvananthapuram and Wayanad received excess rainfall
during this period and Thrissur experienced deficit rainfall. Lakshadweep showed a scanty condition
in 2014 with per cent departure of -67 from the normal.

2.6 Monsoon current advanced over the Andaman Sea two days earlier than its normal date of
20th May. However, it set in over Kerala on 6thJune, 5 days later than its normal date of 1st June
and covered the entire country by17th July, 2 days later than its normal date of 15th July. Withdrawal
of monsoon from west Rajasthan commenced on 17th September against its normal date of 1st
September. Out of the total 36 meteorological subdivisions, 23 subdivisions constituting 67% of
the total area of the country received normal season rainfall and 12 subdivisions (30% of the total
area of the country) received deficient season rainfall. One subdivision (South Interior Karnataka)

Economic Review 2014