Economy

Agriculture is the main occupation. However, only 31.61% of the land in the district is cultivable. The holdings are small, and agriculture is mainly rainfed and at subsistence level. The State Government has set before itself a target of attaining self-sufficiency in food production by 2010 A.D. As a result of this, a number of activities are undertaken these days to bring more land under cultivation, make them irrigable and increase the productivity. A large population however is daily labourer, which depends on the employment generation schemes of the Government. As a result of weak economic base and lack of industrial development and entrepreneurship, dependency on the Government is very high. An analysis of occupational structure in the District shows that about 12.6% are cultivators, 8-9% are agricultural labourers and 1.61% are dependent on trade and commerce. The non-working population is about 68% which is an indication of the weak economic base and under-development. About 72% of the rural population are living below poverty line. Paddy is the main food crop grown. Potato, sugarcane, mesta, jute, mustard, etc. are some other crops grown in the district. Tea, coffee, rubber, jackfruit, banana, mango, pineapple, etc. are the major plantation crops.