With nearly 90 per cent completion of sowing for the kharif season due to statewide rainfall, Maharashtra expects rise in the production of paddy, cotton, tur and maize during 2010-11.
Agriculture minister Balasaheb Thorat told Business Standard, “The rainfall received during June was useful for sowing of kharif crops and paddy and nagli (ragi) nurseries. The rainfall was not sufficient in some parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha for sowing during June. However, rainfall received in the first week of July was useful for the remaining sowing operations.”
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He said the normal area under kharif crop was about 13 million hectares, while the sowing had been completed on 11.86 m ha.
According to the minister, the area sown under cotton has risen to 3.8 m ha compared to 3.5 m ha in 2009-10, while in case of maize, farmers have sown on 0.59 m ha against 0.42 m ha in 2009-10. For tur, the respective figures are 1.24 m ha and 1.2 m ha. “Maize is being used as fodder and farmers have succeeded in achieving an increase in per hectare yield to 2,212 kg against 2,011 kg last year. As far as increase in sowing for cotton is concerned, the demand for Bt (genetically modified) cotton is on the rise and the per ha productivity has increased to 375 lint kg against 285 lint kg.”
Adding: “The area under soybean has reduced to 2.3 m ha compared to 3 m ha last year. This was largely because of uncertainty of rainfall in soybean areas of Maharashtra. Despite this decline, the production is estimated to be 4.4 mt against 2.27 mt in 2009-10.” In case of jowar, the area sown has fallen to 0.88 m ha, compared to 1 m ha last year.
Prabhakar Deshmukh, agriculture commissioner, said the rise in production and productivity was also due to effective implementation of the National Food Security Mission, the integrated scheme for oil seeds, maize and oil palm, the Accelerated Pulse Development Programme, the Technology Mission on Cotton and various related initiatives. “These programmes have helped the state to bridge the yield gap to a considerable extent in the normal monsoon year,” he added.