DOI: 10.36347/sjebm.2015.v02i01.003

Pages: 16-25

The present paper is an attempt to analyse the pattern of growth, and the nature and extent of fluctuation of productivity of total foodgrain in the state of West Bengal as compared to all-India. The entire research work is based on the secondary data of productivity of total foodgrain since 1980-81 to 2009-10, collected from “Directorate of Economics and Statistics”, Ministry of Agriculture, and different issues of Statistical Abstract, Govt. of India. For a proper analysis of growth, break and fluctuation some methodological innovation is also introduced. It is observed from the analysis that growth of productivity of total foodgrain in the state of West Bengal is slightly greater than that in all-India for the whole period, but growth rates in different sub periods is more fluctuating in the state of West Bengal as compared to all-India. Moreover it is observed that the said growth rate in the state of West Bengal is declining after the introduction of New Economic Policy as opposed to all India. It is further observed that fluctuation from trend in the state of West Bengal is greater than that in all India for the whole period and that is mainly due to major breaks in the growth path. For the sub periods fluctuations from trend are reducing both in the state of West Bengal and all India. For both these regions fluctuations in different sub periods are mainly comprised of year-to-year fluctuation and this contribution of year-to-year fluctuation in overall fluctuation is increasing over sub periods.