From time immemorial rice has been the staple crop in Kashmir grown through out the valley of Kashmir and the staple food of the indigenous population. Yet, the state has never acquired self-sufficiency in food grains, in spite of agriculture sector continuing to be the major sector contributor to the state domestic product. However the analysis of data reveals that the dependence on agriculture as a permanent occupation is continuously declining. Agriculture continues to be a major sector but it no longer constitutes a mainstay of the majority of the population in its true perspective.In Jammu and Kashmir economy, structural transformation took place in the post independence period as the contribution of agriculture towards state domestic product declined from 37.63 percent (1980-81) to about 28.89 percent (2007-08) following the expansion of other sector of the economy. Despite, this decline agriculture continues to be the dominant sector of the economy because of the dismal performance of the economy with regard to industrialization, which is evident from the fact that the contribution of manufacturing sector has more or less remained constant over the plan period both at constant and current and current prices. The …show more content…
From 1997-98 to 2002-03 the growth rate was -4.93 percent per annum and shows some improvement in 2003-04 to 2007-08 i.e. 5.19 percent per annum. The overall growth rate of rice was -0.24 percent per annum from 1985-86 to 2007-08.The compound annual growth rates of maize and wheat in Kashmir shown in table number 11(A) stood at 2.32 percent and 4.04 percent during the period 1985-86 to 1990-91, and during the period 1991-92 to 1996-97, 1997-98 to 2002-03, 2003-04 to 2007-08, the compound annual growth rate of maize was 0.7 percent, 3.02 percent, and 0.50 percent respectively. For the same period compound annual growth rates of wheat were -3.39 percent, 5.68 percent, -1.82 percent per annum. The compound annual growth rate of maize and wheat from 1985-86 to 2007-08 was 0.23 percent and 0.9 percent per