Orissa is endowed with a wide range of fertile soil along with adequate rain fail and suitable climate for agriculture. But if is yet  to be fully utilized. Over 76% of population in the State are dependent on Agriculture. Development in Agriculture holds the key to total development of the state. With this in view, the Government of Orissa has decided to give Agriculture the status of industry. For the first time in history, the Government has taken the revolutionary step of announcing a bold Agricultural policy which sets the agenda for growth. The State of Orissa contributes one tenth of rice production in India. Apart from irrigation, floods, droughts, low yield per hectare and division and fragmentation of holidays are the most important agricultural problem of the state. Jute, gram, sesame, ragi, mustard, rape and maize are second-ranking crops in different districts. District-wise, jute ranks second in Cuttack and Balasore, gram in Puri and Phulabani. Maize in Mayurbhanj.

The agrarian economy in Orissa underwent a rapid decline owing to many impediments. In the first phase of her history the village level, self-sustained politico-economic units, encountered the Brahminical Iinstitutions. During the Muslim and Mughal periods the area of foreign impact widened. In the third phase of its history, the area of alien impact widened further completely jeopardizing the economic life of the people. It was the formidable impact of western imperialism and capitalism that challenged the basic value system of Orissa an life which centered round the village level folk moots. Thus the economic history of Orissa was a part of the vast colonial system of the British rule.The people of Orissa had never been exposed to economic maladies as strongly as they were during the British rule.

Land and soil play the most role vital in the state's economy. Land is the chief source of an Oriya Farmer. Therefore, agricultural economy of the state is much dependent on the productivity of land. Orissa with its total geographical area of 15,540 thousand hectares the net sown area covered under  different   crops for agricultral purposes accounts for 59.90 thousand hectares, of which the gross irrigated works out at 18.54 thousand hectares with a gross cropped area of 82.75 thousand hectares. Agricultural is the prominent sector in Orissa's economy contributing 51% of the state's total domestic products in 1971.Some distinctive features of agriculture in Orissa which have relevance to planning are -the pressure of population on land and the inadequacy of irrigation. About 40% of the geographical area of the state has been exploited for agricultural use. The exploitation has been maximum in the coastal districts of Balasore, Cuttack, Puri and Ganjam which have extension areas of fertile alluvial soil. Temperature in Orissa are adequate for cropping of all crops although some crops such as wheat are limited by lower winter temperature.

FOOD GRAINS

Food grains include cereals, millets and pulses. Among cereals, the most important crop was rice. It was followed by ragi, maize, wheat, small millets and bajra. All these, except wheat are coarse cereals and belong to hardier crops which are mostly cultivated in the middle mountainous and rolling uplands and plateaus of Orissa. Whereas rice is confined to the coastal plains, the river valleys and Hirakud command areas where alluvial soil is found. Coarse cereals are of major importance in Orissa both in production and productivity.

RICE. Among the cereals rice is the most dominant crop. It is concentrated in areas of Cuttack, Sambalpur, Puri, Ganjam, Baleshwar, Koraput, Kendujhar and Kalahandi. Rice cultivation is mostly confined to the alluvial coastal plains and river valleys below the 305 meter contour line because of ideal topographical and soil conditions.

PULSES

Gram, tur and arhar are the major pulses grown in Orissa. The pulses can be broadly divided into kharif and rabi crops. Irrigated tracts like the Mahanadi delta, the Rushikulya plains and the Hirakud and Badimula regions are the prominent pulse growing areas of Orissa. Production of pulses are concentrated in districts like Cuttack, Puri, Kalahandi, Koraput, Dhenkanal, Balangir and Sambalpur.

OIL SEEDS

Sesameum, groundnut, mustard, castor and linseed are the principal oilseeds grown in Orissa. Oilseeds are categorized as kharif and rabi crops. Rabi oilseeds are grown as a second crop after the cereals are harvested. Among the oilseeds, groundnut and castor are the hardier crops and are grown in marginal and sub-marginal lands.

Oilseed cultivation is concentrated in districts like Cuttack, Koraput, Kalahandi, Bolangir, Sambalpur, Dhenkanal and Ganjam. All these are located in a less hospitable terrain.

Coconut is mostly confined to the coastal plains because of the high salinity of the soil. Unlike Kerala, in Orissa coconut is primarily grown as a fruit crop. Except coconut, all other oilseeds are seasonal in character.

Except Cuttack district, all the other major oilseeds producing districts are located either in the middle mountainous or rolling uplands of Orissa, where the edaphic and climatic conditions are favourable. While Dhenkanal is the leading til producing district, Baleshwar leads in mustard and Cuttack in groundnut production.

CASH CROPS

Among cash crops, fibre crops are specially important. Jute accounts for the maximum area and turn out among all the cash crops. Orissa is the fourth largest producer of jute after West Bengal, Bihar and Assam. Rice and jute, compete with each other as they require almost similar soil and climatic conditions. Cultivation of jute is primarily confined to the coastal plains of Cuttack, Balasore and Puri districts.

A considerable amount of Mesta is also cultivated. It dominates in the districts of Cuttack, Ganjam, Balangir and Koraput districts.

Sugarcane is the second most important cash crop in Orissa in area as well as production. It is grown in irrigated areas. Orissa stands eighth in sugarcane production in India. A considerable amount of cultivation occurs in Cuttack, Sambalpur, Balangir, Kalahandi and Puri districts, Orissa also produces a small quantity of tobacco. In cash crop production, Cuttack district tops the list.

NEW CASH CROPS

Among the new cash crops, the most important is cashew which has been planted extensively in the low level latiritic plateaus at the foothills of the Eastern Ghats. These cashew plantations are mostly confined to Cuttack, Puri and Ganjam districts. The Cashew Plantation Board is responsible for the development of cashew cultivation in the state. Cashew is also being planted on the sand-dunes on the entire coastal belt. This is because of the suitable edaphic and climatic conditions in these areas. On the  degraded and deforested hills of the Eastern Ghats, cashew is planted to check soil erosion. As a result, Orissa is earning a lot of foreign exchange by exporting cashew through Paradeep.

RUBBER PLANTATIONS

To protect the degraded hill slopes of Eastern Ghats, rubber plantation have been taken up by Rubber Board. Bright prospect for the growth and development of natural rubber exist in the northern Orissa - Mayurbhanj, Kendujhar and Baleshwar due to favourable agro-climatic conditions. Orissa is a non-traditional area for rubber plantations. Inland hill areas of Cuttack, Puri, Ganjam and Dhenkanal districts have agro-climatic conditions suitable for rubber cultivation.

COTTON CULTIVATION

Cotton cultivation has been taken up extensively in Koraput, Balangir and Kalahandi districts where suitable soil and climate conditions are found. Sea island cotton can be grown in the Ballipal region of Baleswar district.

TEA

It is concentrated in areas of Eastern Ghats, Kendujhar, mountainous region of Phulbani and Koraput.

COFFEE

It is concentrated in forest lands of Eastern Ghats, Koraput, Kalhandi, Malkangiri, Rayagada, G.Udayagiri and Balliguda areas of Kanohanthal district.

AGRICULTURAL ZONES

On the basis of distribution of individual crops, 31 agricultural zones have been worked out. These are:

1) The Baripada plain to the east of Budhabalanga. It is dominated by the sugarcane cultivation.

2) The south Balasore plain. It is dominated by cereals.

3) The southern valley of the Baitarani. This is mainly a sugarcane cultivation area.

4) The Panposh plateau which is dominated by pulses.

5,6) These zones cover the entire Mahanadi, Brahmani and southern portion of the Baitarani deltas. Throughout the zone, pulses are extensively cultivated. In the core, sugarcane, jute, oilseeds and other cereals are widely grown.

7) This region is solely dominated by oilseeds and is located on the eastern bank of the Brahmani river.

8,9) These zones are found in the middle and lower Brahmani valley. They are dominated by pulses. In the core of this region cotton and sugarcane are extensively cultivated. Pulses, sugarcane and cotton are the principal crops.

10) This zone dominated by sugarcane is located in the Mahanadi valley and is confined to the Dhenkanal plains.

11) In the Nayagarh region oilseeds are the principal crop.

12) The upper Mahanadi valley is dominated by pulses.

13,14) These zones located in the hilly terrain of the Udayagiri and Phulabani regions, almost overlap each other and are dominated by pulses and oilseeds.

15,16) The Rushikulya plain is the second most important agricultural region in Orissa. It is dominated by pulses.

17,18) The Vamsadhara valley is a region dominated by sugarcane cultivation. Rayagada stands at the centre of this zone. Oilseeds are also widely cultivated to the east of the Vamsadhara and thus a separate region is formed.

19) This small region in the upper reaches of the Nagavali is dominated by sugarcane cultivation.

20) This is a hilly region almost the same size as the former, but is principally a cereal area.

21,22) The Nowrangpur plateau is mainly a region of pulses. Towards the southern part of this area, however, sugarcane dominates. So a separate region is worked out with pulses and sugarcane.

23,24,25,26) The rolling uplands of Balangir-Titlagarh-Patnagarh and Bhawanipatna are dominated by cereals.

27) The Sonepur plain is dominated by sugarcane cultivation.

28,29,30) The Sambalpur and Bargarh rolling uplands, are dominated by pulses. In the northern part of this region sugarcane and in the south oilseeds dominate.

31) This region covers the rolling uplands of the Ib basin and the Panposh rolling uplands of the Brahmani. Pulses are the principal crops here.