Maharashtra targets 92.5 lt foodgrain output

PUNE: As farmers in Maharashtra run from pillar to post collecting inputs and preparing fields for the monsoon, this time even ministers and officials of the state���s agriculture department are also keeping its fingers crossed for a good monsoon.

With Assembly elections in the state due to be held in September, they have the challenge of almost doubling agricultural production and productivity, both of which declined by 30-50% in ���08-09 as compared to the previous year.

In 2008-09, sowing took place on 133.2 lakh ha of land as against the average sowing area of 134.2 lakh ha. The production of pulses (-28%), cereals (-54%) and oilseeds (-51%) came down substantially. Production of important kharif crops like rice and jowar declined by about 7 lakh tonnes each while bajra production was lower by 4.4 lakh tonnes. Though the area under cash crops like soyabean, cotton and sugarcane increased in ���08-09, their production decreased by 46%, 30% and 43% respectively.

Against this backdrop, the state has set a target of sowing 147 lakh ha area in kharif ���09. The foodgrain production of Maharashtra in kharif ���08 was 63.5 lakh tonnes, while in ���07, it was achieved a record high of 94.6 lakh tonnes. For the ensuing ���09 kharif, the state has set a target of producing 92.5 lakh tonnes, which means a 45% increase.

���The reason for the state���s poor performance in the 2008 kharif season was mainly due to the prolonged dry spell in the monsoon, the consequent late sowing and pest attack in Vidarbha,��� said state���s agriculture minister Balasaheb Thorat at a recent kharif review meeting.

In the absence of assured irrigation, with only 16% of the land under cultivation being irrigated, fulfillment of the agriculture department���s ambitious plans depends entirely on the monsoon.