Higher wheat MSP fails to enthuse farmers

STATE WATCH: HARYANA

Wheat acreage in Haryana has not increased despite the Central government raising the minimum support price of the grain.

The area under wheat was 23,76,000 hectares in 2006-07 and the state agriculture department expects it to be 24,00,000 hectares in 2007-08, an increase of only 1 per cent.

Similarly, the cultivation of indigenous wheat, which was 620 acres last year, could shrink to 500 acres this year. Gram, barley and pulses are the other main rabi crops in Haryana, and the total area under rabi foodgrains is expected to be 26,05,000 hectares in 2007-08.

The state is targeting a wheat production of 10.2 million tones this rabi season against last year's 10.05 million tonnes.

The option of planting alternative crops with assured returns is cited as the main reason for farmers not increasing the area under wheat.

In the southern districts, the Haryana Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation (Hafed) has mobilised farmers for growing indigenous wheat which is appropriate for the soil texture in those parts. It requires less investment in terms of irrigation and fertilisers.

The state has also introduced contract farming with effect from August 2007. The state signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Skol Breweries (promoted by Sab Miller of Hayward beer) last week for growing barley under contract farming in the state. Under the contract, barley will be grown in an area of about 2,500 acres in the districts of Jhajjar, Sirsa, Rewari and Gurgaon.

The advantage of growing barley for farmers is that it consumes less water than wheat.

Initially, about 1000 farmers are likely to benefit from this. The officials of the Agricultural Marketing Board of Haryana said that no target has been fixed for area under contract farming in the state.

The farmers would receive an assured return of Rs 800 per quintal under contract farming against the present MSP of Rs 550 a quintal. Hafed is also exploring opportunities for contract farming in basmati rice.

Although contract farming was practised earlier in the state, it failed to attract farmers, with only a few options for it due to default fears. The recent legislation on contract farming has put farmers at ease, who are now likely to adopt the method with forward and backward linkages.

The rabi crop planting is in full swing and about 80 per cent sowing has been completed till November 15. The final figures will be available over the next few days.

According to the officials of the state agriculture department, timely sowing in the last two years has arrested the fall in productivity. A senior official in the department said the state has given priority to increasing the production of foodgrains.

Contract farming would also be encouraged as part of inter-cropping to retain the fertility of the soil and maintaining the water table. The gross cropped area in the state comes to 65 lakh hectares and the net area sown is around 35.28 lakh hectares.

ALL ABOUT RABI

Total area under rabi foodgrains is expected to be 2.6 million hectares in 2007-08

About 80 per cent of the rabi crop was sown till November 15

Wheat acreage may rise marginally to 2.4 million hectares and production is expected to touch 10.2 million tonnes

State to encourage contract farming to retain fertility of soil and maintain water table

Gross cropped area in the state is 6.5 million hectares