Govt banks on rice, wheat to meet agri growth target

In its bid to push up the annual agricultural growth rate to the targeted 4 per cent, the government has formulated a short-term strategy for raising the production of major crops including rice and wheat.

Towards this, a nation-wide campaign - 'Mission Four' - would be launched to enhance crop yields through better management of available resources.

This was announced by agriculture secretary Radha Singh at the national conference convened here to prepare crop production plans for the ensuing rabi season.

Representatives from state agriculture departments, farm universities and other related state and Central ministries are attending the two-day meet.

The short-term strategy for boosting the output of rice and some other kharif crops like maize, cotton, oilseeds and pulses would target all those areas, which have potential for a quick breakthrough in yields.

These areas include lower and upper Gangetic plains. The rice yield in this region could be stepped up from the present 2 tonne to 2.5 tonne per hectare in a short time with better water management; use of hybrids and high-yielding seeds; efficient use of fertilisers and micro nutrients; integrated pest management and other technologies.

Similarly, in the case of wheat, areas with potential of raising productivity fast include Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, the Central Plateau comprising Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and adjacent hilly areas. Crop yield in these areas could be increased from 2 tonne to 2.8 tonne a hectare by focusing on water management, high-yielding varieties, balanced use of fertilisers and micronutrients and resource-conservation technologies.

She said special attention was also needed to oilseed crops such as soyabean, groundnut, mustard, castor and others. The states should give priority to implementing the seed village scheme involving private seed growers. The Centre was working on putting together a national seed plan.

Referring to agricultural marketing, the secretary said amendment of the Sagricultural Produce Marketing Committee Acts of the states was key to farm marketing reforms.

The amended law would encourage setting up of competitive agricultural markets in the private and corporate sectors. The changes in this law would definitely give a boost to systems like direct marketing and contract farming, Singh said.