ABSTRACT
The chapter provides a broader view on the trends and patterns in the growth of different agricultural crops in Karnataka with appropriate policy prescriptions. It also provides a forecast for different crop production for the next 12 years (2019–30). The necessary secondary data were collected from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES), Ministry of Agriculture, for the period 1956–57 to 2017–18. The findings revealed that, the decadal cropping pattern has been changing from 1960–61 to 2015–16. Over all, the total cereals area has decreased by 28.63 per cent for all cereals except maize. In contrast, the pulses area has increased by 57 per cent largely contributed by Bengal gram. The performance of pulses in terms of area and production was impressive during the study period. The shift in cropping pattern was dynamic and has undergone substantial changes with a significant shift from the cultivation of food grains to commercial crops. The prospects in crop production based on forecasted values for the period 2019 to 2030 indicated that maize production is significantly increasing. Similarly, cereal and food grain production shows an increasing trend for the future. As expected, red gram and Bengal gram production showed a significant increasing trend. From the policy perspective, attempts are very much necessary to enhance the yield of major crops in cereals, pulses, and oilseeds. The yield levels could be improved through better genetic engineering, soil and water management, profitable crop rotation, innovative marketing, and investment in rural infrastructure.
