Drought-hit Chattisgarh won't falter on rice contribution to Central pool

State is second largest contributor of rice to central pool; more than half its tehsils are declared drought-hit

Despite more than half of Chhattisgarh’s tehsils declared as drought-hit, the state’s share of rice to the Centre will remain unaffected in the kharif marketing season 2017-18.

Following scanty rainfall, 96 of the 149 tehsils in the leading rice-producing state have been declared as drought-hit. The paddy output is likely to be affected as against a target of producing 8.2 million tonnes (mt) of rice in the current marketing season.

Based on the visual assessment of crop damage, the state government is expecting that the rice output would be affected by about a million tonne this year. However, it would