New 'Look East' policy to boost rice output in Eastern states

NEW DELHI: The Centre will come up with a 'Look East' policy to boost kharif staple rice production in eastern states. A national-level conference scheduled to be held in New Delhi on April 6-7 will formulate strategies to maximise summer-sown crop output by hiking area and production in eastern states, which have more irrigated, alluvial soil and higher water table than those in the northwest.

"The focus will be on rice and introduction of high-yielding varieties since they respond well to fertilisers in irrigated regions," an agriculture ministry official said. The 'Look East' policy will also try to wean away states such as Punjab from producing rice, a practice that has led to high soil degradation. Interest in strategies is also high because of record fruit and vegetable prices, which have fuelled food inflation besides raising staple crop prices.

The official said that over the last two years, rice hybrids had been promoted under the National Food Security Mission, resulting in improvement in productivity in areas under the programme.

In addition, early maturing rice varieties were being introduced in rain-fed areas of the region so as to allow farmers to plant short-duration oilseeds and pulses between sowing seasons. "Demand and availability of quality seeds and fertilisers have been assessed by the agriculture ministry. These will also be validated during the conference and strategies worked out to ensure that farmers do not face shortage of these crucial inputs," an official statement said.

This year, the Budget has allocated more funds to states for implementation of key programmes such as the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and National Horticulture Mission (NHM).