But net sown area in state declines marginally
Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The agriculture sector's overall contribution to Assam's gross state domestic product (GSDP) vis-à-vis the net sown area in the state is a study in contrast. While the contribution of the agriculture sector to Assam's GSDP has spiked by a whopping 80 per cent in the past 10 years, the net sown area has in contrast declined, though marginally.
As compared to Rs 25,59,454 lakh (at constant prices of 2011-12) in 2015-16, the sector's contribution to the state's GDP has gone north by up to Rs 46,28,763 lakh in 2025-26 (advanced estimates).
But net sown area, which is the total physical land area cultivated with crops and orchards during an agricultural year, counting each piece of land only once regardless of how many crops are grown on it, is showing a declining trend.
In fact, the net sown area in the area has declined by 42,715 hectare (ha) in the past nine years. The net sown area was 28,01,472 ha in 2015-16, which decreased to 27,73,855 ha in 2016-17. This further went down to 27,22,530 ha in 2017-18.
The net sown areas in subsequent years were 27,23,466 ha in 2018-19, 26,99,467 ha in 2019-20, 27,23,620 ha in 2020-21, 27,49,115 ha in 2021-22, 27,44,212 ha in 2022-23, 27,56,492 ha in 2023-24, and 27,58,757 ha in 2024-25. In 2024-25, Dibrugarh district had the highest net sown area - 1,57,258 ha. This was followed by Golaghat with 1,43,321 ha and Barpeta with 1,34,287 ha.
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