Uttarakhand Goverment Portal, India (External Website that opens in a new window) http://india.gov.in, the National Portal of India (External Website that opens in a new window)

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State Profile

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Uttarakhand, located at the foothills of the Himalayas, is characterized by diverse geographical features ranging from snow-capped mountain peaks in the North to tropical forests in the South. It has been divided into two regions- the western region- Garhwal Mandal and the eastern region- Kumaon Mandal. It is divided into 13 districts which consist of 95 blocks. The table below gives key demographic indicators and their comparison with pan-India numbers- 

SN

Indicators

Unit

Uttarakhand

India

1

Geographical Area

Lakh Sq. Km

0.53

32.87

2

Population

Crore

1.01

121.02

3

Decadal Growth Rate

Percentage

19.17

17.64

4

Density of Population

Population/Sq. Km.

189

382

5

Urban to Total Population

Percentage

30.49

31.16

6

Sex Ratio

Females/1000 Males

963

940

7

Literacy Rate (LR)

Percentage

79.60

74.04

2.  Land Use

       Out of a total geographical area of 5.35 million ha in the state, 4.6 million ha (86%) is hilly area and 0.74 million ha (14%) is plain area. Only about 14 percent of the geographical area is cultivable which is mainly attributed to the topography of the state. Because of its location and diverse climate, the State has certain unique advantages for development of horticulture, agro processing industries, organic farming, off season vegetable cultivation and cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants which can be gainfully exploited. Similarly, service sector, particularly tourism offers a large potential for employment generation in both urban and rural areas. The State is having about 61.1% area under forests. The share of net sown area is  only about 14 % as against the national average of 43.37%. The share of culturable wasteland is about 7% which provides a huge potential for fodder trees and other plantation crops including fruits.

             Agriculture is a predominant sector in the state economy which contributes around 23.4% in State Domestic Product (GDP).The average size of land holding in the state is 0.95 ha (Marginal-0.39, Small-1.38, Medium-3.33 and Large-36.00) as against the National Average of 1.57 ha. The share of small and marginal holdings is higher in Uttarakhand State as compared to National Average. The agriculture sector in the state continues to remain heavily depended on rainfall. The net Irrigated area in the State is 3.45 lakh ha. Out of which 85.83% is in plains and 14.17% are is in hills. The irrigation intensity in the State is 159% which varies between 155% in plains to 184% in hilly region.

 3. Agro Climatic Zones

The state has different agro-climatic conditions, slopes and height. Details of Physiographic Zones and farming situations in the state are as under:

S.N

Zone

Farming situation

Soil

Rainfall

(mm/year)

Districts

 Principal farm produces and Livestock

1

Zone A up to 1000 M

Tarai irrigated

 Alluvial

1400

U.S. Nagar, Haridwar

Rice, wheat, sugarcane, lentil, chickpea, rapeseed mustard, mango, Litchi, guava, peach and plums. Livestock: Buffalo and cattle

Bhabar

Irrigated

Alluvial mixed with boulders and shingles

1400

Nainital, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal

Rice, wheat, sugarcane, rapeseed mustard, potato, lentil, mango, guava and litchi. Livestock: Buffalo and cattle

Irrigated lower hills (600-1000M)

Alluvial sandy soil

2000-2400

Champawat, Pauri Garhwal, Dehradun, Nainital, Tehri Garhwal

Rice, Wheat, onion, chilly, peas, potato, radish, cauliflower, pulses, oilseeds, soybean, mango, guava, plums and peaches.

Livestock: Buffalo and cattle

Rain-fed lower hills (600-1000M)

Residual sandy loam

2000-2400

Champawat, Nainital, Pauri Garhwal, Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Bageshwar

finger millet, Maize, rice, wheat, pulses, mango, guava, plums and peaches.

Livestock: Buffalo, cattle and goat

2.

Zone B

1000-1500M

Mid hills south aspect (1000-1500 M)

Sandy loam

1200-1300

Champawat, Nainital, Almora, Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Bageshwar

Rice, finger millet, wheat, potato, tomato, peas, cole crops, pulses, peach and plums.

Livestock: Cattle, sheep & goat

3

Zone C

1500-2400M

High hills

(1500-2400 M)

Red to dark

1200-2500

Pithoragarh, Almora, Chamoli, Bageshwar

Amaranth, finger millet, French-beans, Cole crops, potato, peas, peaches, plums, pear, apple and stone fruits.

Livestock: Cattle, sheep and goat

4.

Zone D>

2400 M

Very High hills

Red to dark Black clay

1300

Pithoragarh, Chamoli and  Uttarkashi

Amaranth, buckwheat, peas, Cole crops, apple and potato.

Livestock: Sheep & goat

 

Key Links

http://www.doiuk.org/ (Department of Industries, Uttarakhand)

http://agriculture.uk.gov.in/ (Department of Agriculture, Uttarakhand)

http://ukmandi.co.in/ (Uttarakhand Krishi Utpadan Mandi Parisad)

http://uk.gov.in/contents/view/1/6/ (Directorate of Food Processing)

http://www.sidcul.com/ State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIDCUL)

http://des.uk.gov.in/ (Department of Economics and Statistics, Uttarakhand)

http://www.ahduk.org/ (Department of Animal Husbandary, Uttarakhand)

http://www.mpstateagro.nic.in/EZ.HTM (agro industries related information)

http://nhb.gov.in/ and http://agricoop.nic.in/ (for all horti and agri production information)

Photo Gallery

High density mango plantation with vegitable inter-cropping

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