Economy of Gujarat: Agriculture, Industry and Cooperatives · GPSC (Gujarat)

What the official syllabus says

General Studies-III (Main Examination, Paper VI), (D) Economy of India and Gujarat:
Indian Economy & Economic Planning: Evolution of Indian economy since independence, major policy shifts, Economic planning and its evolution, role of NITI Aayog, Effects of liberalisation on the economy (post 1991 changes), changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
Agriculture & Rural Economy: Major crops, Cropping patterns, and irrigation. Land reforms and their socio-economic impact. Food security, Public Distribution System (PDS), and agricultural subsidies. Food processing and related industries in India. E-technology in agriculture and supply chain management. Policies for Sustainable agriculture, Organic farming, Cooperative sector in Gujarat etc.

The heading of this section is 'Economy of India and Gujarat', and its last line names the cooperative sector in Gujarat. This page gathers the Gujarat side of the section: the State's economy, its agriculture and allied sectors, and its cooperatives, from dairy to sugar and banking.

Topics in detail

Economy of Gujarat: an overview

Formation in 1960 and early industrial base (textiles in Ahmedabad, trade, ports)
Structure: a large share of industry (especially manufacturing) in State output compared with India; growing services
A leading State in petrochemicals, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, diamonds, textiles, ceramics, salt and ports; high share of India's exports
Institutions: Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (1962), Gujarat Industrial Investment Corporation, Gujarat State Financial Corporation, Industrial Extension Bureau (iNDEXTb), Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation
Investment promotion: the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (from 2003); industrial policies
Public finance of the State: own tax revenue (State GST, VAT on fuel, stamp duty), borrowing, debt

Social sector in Gujarat

Health: Chiranjeevi Yojana (institutional deliveries, 2005), 108 emergency ambulance service; malnutrition and anaemia as continuing challenges
Education: Shala Praveshotsav and Kanya Kelavani (enrolment drives), Gunotsav (school quality assessment)
Welfare of tribal areas: Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana; coastal areas: Sagarkhedu Sarvangi Vikas Yojana

Agriculture in Gujarat

Agro-climatic zones from the humid south to arid Kachchh
Leading crops: cotton, groundnut, castor, cumin, fennel, isabgol (psyllium), tobacco (Charotar), wheat, bajra, rice, sugarcane
Gujarat as the leading producer of castor and among the leading producers of groundnut and cotton; Unjha as a major market for cumin and other seed spices
Horticulture: Kesar mangoes (Gir, Junagadh, Amreli), Valsad mangoes, chikoo (Navsari), banana (Bharuch, Anand), dates (Kachchh), pomegranate
Growth drivers in the 2000s: Bt cotton, check dams and groundwater recharge, assured power through Jyotigram, Narmada water, micro-irrigation
Extension: Krishi Mahotsav (annual farm outreach, from 2005); Soil Health Cards (Gujarat began them before the national scheme)
Gujarat Green Revolution Company (micro-irrigation, 2005)
Problems: drought and rain dependence, salinity, groundwater, small holdings, price swings for cash crops
Natural farming promotion in the State

Irrigation and water in Gujarat

Sardar Sarovar (Narmada) project: canal network, drinking water to Saurashtra, Kachchh and North Gujarat; Narmada Main Canal reaching Rajasthan
SAUNI Yojana (Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation)
Check dams and farm ponds; Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan
Statewide drinking water grid (pipelines)

Land reforms in Gujarat

Saurashtra land reform laws of the early 1950s (abolition of girasdari and barkhali)
Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948 as applied in Gujarat ('land to the tiller' and the transfer of ownership to tenants)
Gujarat Agricultural Lands Ceiling Act, 1960
Computerised land records (e-Dhara) and online land services

Animal husbandry and fisheries

Cattle breeds: Gir and Kankrej; buffalo breeds: Jafarabadi, Mehsani, Surti, Banni
Other livestock: Kathiawari horse, Patanwadi sheep, camels of Kachchh (Kharai camel)
Mobile veterinary services and animal health camps
Marine fisheries: Veraval as a major fishing harbour; fish exports; problems of overfishing and arrests of fishermen near the maritime border

Food processing and allied industries in Gujarat

Dairy processing (Amul and the district unions)
Groundnut oil, cotton ginning and spinning, spice processing, potato processing (Banaskantha), fruit processing
Agri-export zones and cold chains

Cooperative sector in Gujarat

Roots: the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers' Union (Amul), registered at Anand in 1946 under Tribhuvandas Patel, inspired by Sardar Patel
The Anand pattern: village milk cooperatives, district unions, the State federation (Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, 1973)
Verghese Kurien, the National Dairy Development Board at Anand (1965) and Operation Flood (from 1970)
District dairy unions such as Banas (Palanpur), Dudhsagar (Mehsana), Sumul (Surat), Baroda Dairy
Sugar cooperatives of South Gujarat (such as at Bardoli); cotton and oilseed marketing cooperatives
Cooperative credit: primary agricultural credit societies, district central cooperative banks, the Gujarat State Co-operative Bank; urban cooperative banks
Fertiliser cooperatives with plants in Gujarat: IFFCO (Kalol and Kandla) and KRIBHCO (Hazira)
Women's cooperatives: SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association, Ahmedabad, 1972) and SEWA Bank
Salt, fisheries, housing and labour cooperatives
Law: the Gujarat Co-operative Societies Act, 1961; the State Registrar of Co-operative Societies
Institutions at Anand: the Institute of Rural Management (IRMA) and the national cooperative university set up there in 2025 (Tribhuvan Sahkari University)
Issues: political control, governance and elections, weak credit cooperatives, competition from private players, the role of the Union Ministry of Cooperation

Overlaps

Gujarat: Natural Resources and Industrial Location on this paper.
Prelims General Studies: Economy of Gujarat (social sector, agriculture, forests, water resources, mining, industry and service sector).