Agriculture
A total of 48,675 hecatres of land is used for
agriculture purposes. Paddy, the main food crop, is mostly cultivated in
Andaman group of islands, whereas coconut and arecanut are the cash crops
of Nicobar group of islands. Field crops, namely, pulses, oilseeds and
vegetables are grown, followed by paddy during Rabi season. Different kinds
of fruits such as mango, sapota, orange, banana, papaya, pineapple and
root crops are grown on hilly land owned by farmers. Spices, viz., pepper,
clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon are grown under multi-tier cropping system.
Rubber, red oil, palm and cashew are grown on a limited scale in these
islands.
Industry
There are 1,374 registered small scale, village and
handicrafts units. Two units are export oriented in the line of fish
processing activity. Apart from this, there are shell and wood based
handicraft units. There are also four medium sized industrial units. SSI
units are engaged in the production of polythene bags, PVC conduit
pipes and fittings, paints and varnished, fibre glass and mini flour
mills, soft drinks and beverages, etc. Small scale and handicraft units
are also engaged in shell crafts, bakery products, rice milling, furniture
making , etc. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development
Corporation has spread its wings in the field of tourism, fisheries, industries
and industrial financing and functions as authorised agents for Alliance
Air/ et Airways. |