'India may become a leading foodgrain exporter'

NEW DELHI: India can emerge as a leading foodgrain exporter in global market if only farmers in other parts of the country could match the yield levels of Ludhiana district of Punjab.

With 4.61 tonnes per hectare, which is double the national average of around two tonnes per hectare, Ludhiana has topped the districts in foodgrain output per hectare.

While chairing the meeting of Planning Commission on Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said agricultural yields can be increased by 40-100 per cent in the next 3-4 years by focusing on yield gap reduction and expanding the area of cultivation.

Commenting on the high productivity in Ludhiana, Joint Director, Department of Agriculture Punjab, Gurdial Singh said, "The soil quality, irrigated facilities backed by research and extension efforts of Punjab Agricultural University in the district have played a crucial role in making Ludhiana as country's top district in foodgrain yields."

In fact, Ludhiana tops the list with 4.61 tonnes foodgrain output per hectare closely followed by Fatehgarh Sahib district (in Punjab) that produced 4.32 tonnes a hectare in 2005-06.

A Planning Commission committee headed by C H Hanumantha Rao, which recently submitted its report, has recommended that public investment in agriculture should be increased to 4 per cent of GDP from the present level of less than two per cent to raise productivity.