Gujarat aims to up area under oilseeds, foodgrain

Gujarat is aiming to increase the area under cultivation for three major crops "" foodgrains, oilseeds and cotton.

This is aimed at increasing production as well as productivity of these crops. The oilseeds production had dipped in 2006-07 over 2005-06.

However, the government figures reveal that the performance of foodgrains has remained consistent for the last couple of years and cotton production has been on the rise.

The figures provided by the Department of Agriculture and Co-operatives shows the government plans to up the area under foodgrains to 5.3 per cent during the Rabi season of 2007-08 to achieve a sizeable growth of 14 per cent in production growth rate and 8.3 per cent growth rate in productivity.

In oilseeds, the department will try to increase the area under cultivation to 7.9 per cent during the Rabi-summer 2007-08 to achieve the projected production growth rate of 17 per cent and productivity growth rate of 8.4 per cent.

For foodgrains, a strategy for dryland farming will be formulated to achieve this. Under the strategy the government will encourage farmers to go in for cropping patterns like mix cropping, relay cropping and inter cropping.

The department claims seed replacement in cereals and pulses will help to increase productivity. The average yield of cereals during the 10th plan was 1,627 kg per hectare and the government will try to increase productivity to 1,821 kg per hectare in 2007-08.

While, in oilseeds the government will focus on castor and try to increase the area under cultivation. The department will try to promote relay cropping system of castor-groundnut pattern.

The groundnut productivity will be increased through seed replacement and special emphasis on summer groundnut crops.

The state aims to increase the oilseeds yield to 1,320 kg per hectare in 2007-08 from the 10th plan average yield of 1,218 kg per hectare. Major oilseeds crops in Gujarat include groundnut, castor, sesamum, rape and mustard.

On the other hand the government does not wish to increase the area under cultivation in 2007-08 because the cash crop of genetically modified (GM) cotton is already encroaching into other crops' cultivation area.

Instead, the government will try to increase the productivity growth rate to 30.2 per cent in 2007-08.

The government will try and promote genetically modified (GM) varieties and increase the usage of micro-irrigation. The government aims to increase the area under cultivation of hybrid cotton to 13 lakh hectares.

The total area under cultivation in cotton during 2007-08 will be 23 lakh hectares.