Pawar asks states to maximise foodgrain production
Sharad Pawar has appealed to the states to make the best use of the initiatives of recent years not only to ensure food security but also not to turn India into an exporter of food and agricultural produce.
By INDIATIMES NEWS NETWORK |
MUMBAI: Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar has appealed to the states to make the best use of the initiatives of recent years not only to ensure food security but also not to turn India into an exporter of food and agricultural produce.
Pawar called for better use of water, ensuring availability of quality seed and fertilizers, improving marketing infrastructure, introducing market reforms and disseminating new technology through the extension network.
The minister said food grain production in 2007-08 had reached a record 227.32 million tonne and record production has been achieved in a number of crops. He expressed hope that given a normal monsoon as forecast by the IMD, the production of food grains would see further rise in the coming Kharif season.
He was speaking at the Conference of State Agriculture and Agricultural Marketing Ministers on Wednesday.
The National Food Security Mission has shown encouraging trend in the use of quality inputs. ���Initial reports from a few states indicate an increase of wheat seed distribution from about 43 per cent in Rajasthan to as high as about 10 times in Bihar. In pulses also the increase in use of improved seed range from 29% in Rajasthan to more than 400% in Chhattisgarh,��� Pawar said.
The minister said for the year 2008-09, an outlay of about Rs 3,166 crore has been approved for the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna.
Pawar expressed the confidence that wheat procurement in the current season would cross the target of 150 lakh tonne. He informed that in the last 10 days, 86.25 lakh tonne wheat has been procured.
The minister asked the states to take necessary steps for procurement of rice in the Kharif season.
Pawar called for better use of water, ensuring availability of quality seed and fertilizers, improving marketing infrastructure, introducing market reforms and disseminating new technology through the extension network.
The minister said food grain production in 2007-08 had reached a record 227.32 million tonne and record production has been achieved in a number of crops. He expressed hope that given a normal monsoon as forecast by the IMD, the production of food grains would see further rise in the coming Kharif season.
He was speaking at the Conference of State Agriculture and Agricultural Marketing Ministers on Wednesday.
The National Food Security Mission has shown encouraging trend in the use of quality inputs. ���Initial reports from a few states indicate an increase of wheat seed distribution from about 43 per cent in Rajasthan to as high as about 10 times in Bihar. In pulses also the increase in use of improved seed range from 29% in Rajasthan to more than 400% in Chhattisgarh,��� Pawar said.
The minister said for the year 2008-09, an outlay of about Rs 3,166 crore has been approved for the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna.
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Pawar expressed the confidence that wheat procurement in the current season would cross the target of 150 lakh tonne. He informed that in the last 10 days, 86.25 lakh tonne wheat has been procured.
The minister asked the states to take necessary steps for procurement of rice in the Kharif season.
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