The study was undertaken in Cuttack and Sundargarh district of Odisha to analyse the cropping pattern of the state. The study was based on secondary data. The secondary data was collected from Odisha Agriculture Statistics. To study cropping pattern of the state, per cent of Gross Cropped Area was calculated over a period of time. It was observed that post economic reforms the percentage of GCA in the state under rice has decreased over the years by 3 per cent. The area under cereals other than paddy has also decreased and been diverted towards other crops. Area under pulses has significantly increased by nearly 3 per cent.

Diversification, trend, Cropping Pattern, Compound Growth Rate

On the basis of the analysis, the paper offers the following conclusion: There has been a sluggish rise in crop diversification in Odisha. Diversification has taken place from paddy to non-paddy crops in Odisha. Odisha still remains a paddy dominated state but farmers have started diversifying the area under paddy towards pulses and oilseeds. The gross cropped area in most parts of the study area is decreasing because area under agriculture is now being diverted for infrastructure development. Youths are more interested in service sector than in agriculture sector as the latter is less remunerative.Since the dependence on crop agriculture is not very high in the area due to the overwhelming contribution of service sector, agricultural activities need to made more productive and lucrative, more so from the view point of young generation through incentivizing them in all possible ways. This study would help Govt of Odisha in policy formulation.

Arati Priyadarshini, Sarba Narayan Mishra, Abhiram Dash and Subrat Pattanaik (2022). Cropping Pattern of Odisha. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 14(4a): 548-550.