| State registers a bumper kharif crop by adopting modern farming techniques
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| A good monsoon this year helped Chhattisgarh reap a bumper paddy harvest during the kharif season despite a slight reduction in acreage compared with the previous year.
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According to kharif estimates for 2007-08 in the state, the production of paddy is expected to touch 6.13 million tonnes (MT) this season despite the acreage falling to 3.83 lakh hectares from the previous year's 3.85 lakh hectares. The estimate is 15 per cent more than the previous year's paddy production.
KHARIF ESTIMATES
Acreage (lakh hectares)/Production (lakh tn) | | Crop | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | | Paddy | 38.48/53.25 | 38.31/61.34 | | Pulses | 4.32/2.90 | 4.44/3.39 | | Oilseeds | 3.09/2.13 | 3.32/2.57 |
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"The state is all set for a bumper crop during this kharif season as timely and good rainfall coupled with modern and systematic farming have paid the desired dividends," said Rajesh Chandravanshi, deputy director of the state's Directorate of agriculture.
RABI ESTIMATES
Acreage (lakh hectares)/Production (lakh tn) | | Crop | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | | Paddy | 3.33/5.93 | 3.04/5.17 | | Pulses | 8.64/5.08 | 10.18/6.12 | | Oilseeds | 2.94/1.05 | 4.02/1.54 |
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| Though the paddy acreage registered a slight decrease, the acreage for Dalhan (pulses) and Tilhan (oilseeds) crops has increased by 3 and 7 per cent, respectively.
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| "More farmers are switching over to Dalhan and Tilhan crops for more profit," Chandravanshi said.
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| But paddy still continues to remain the backbone of Chhattisgarh's economy, forcing the state government to procure paddy by incurring losses running to crores of rupees.
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| This year, the government has set a target to procure 4 million tonnes of paddy. "With the kharif rice output touching an all-time high in the last couple of years, a similar crop can be expected during the current season," he said.
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| Even the market players agree but with certain reservations. "The market arrival of paddy is very slow," said Rajkumar Agrawal, the senior vice president of Chhattisgarh Rice Mills Association.
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| But arrivals cannot be a measure for establishing a crop failure. "Paddy is a big political issue in Chhattisgarh and the farmers take maximum mileage from it," he added.
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| Generally, farmers stock paddy after harvest and wait for the right opportunity to sell. Since they can earn more from the market, farmers avoid selling paddy to the societies for minimum support price (MSP) and wait for the government's last call before deciding to sell the stock. This year, the state government will pay Rs 775 a quintal, including Rs 100 bonus as MSP for A-grade paddy.
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| Agrawal said the picture would be clear in a fortnight. According to agriculture scientist Sanket Thakur, the bumper crop was a result of farmers adopting new seed varieties and using modern methods of farming.
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| "There is no doubt that the state is heading for a bumper crop as farmers have even produced 30 quintals of paddy in an acre in a few areas," Thakur claimed.
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| The acreage of paddy, he said, had only reduced in areas adjoining to urban localities. Moreover, farmers have started sowing paddy even for the rabi season, Thakur said, adding that the state produced over 6 lakh metric tonnes of paddy during the rabi season last year.
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| The acreage for rabi paddy crop has come down from last year's 3.33 lakh hectares to 3.04 lakh hectare this year. The state expects to produce 5.17 lakh metric tonnes of paddy during 2007-08 rabi season. |
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