The Hindu Business Line : Haryana rabi output target at 105 lakh tonnes

He was presiding over a meeting of the State-level Co-ordination Committee on Agricultural Production to review the production of kharif 2004 and targets for rabi 2004-05 on Monday.

He directed that farmers be provided all inputs and adequate water and power to ensure timely sowing of crops. He suggested that steps be taken to promote the cultivation of maize, including winter maize, and bring more area under rabi oilseeds and gram to facilitate diversification of crops. While reviewing the production of horticultural crops, he ordered that a campaign be launched to promote the cultivation of medicinal and herbal plants to enhance the economic status of farmers.

Giving details of various crops to be sown during rabi 2004-05, the Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Agriculture, Mr K.S. Bhoria, said it has been targeted to produce 90.50 lakh tonnes of wheat, 2.50 lakh tonnes of gram, 1.50 lakh tonnes of barley, 40,000 tonnes of rabi pulses, 9.50 lakh tonnes of rabi oilseeds and 60,000 tonnes of sunflower.

Adequate arrangements have been made to ensure supply of all inputs, including certified seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.

He added that the State was expecting a total production of 32.66 lakh tonnes of foodgrains during kharif 2004 against the production of 38.99 lakh tonnes of foodgrains earlier.

Mr Bhoria also said that the deficit in the production of foodgrains was mainly because of no rainfall during July, the peak sowing season for these crops.

The Government is also projecting production of 7.50 lakh tonnes of gur, 6,000 tonnes of kharif oilseeds and 83,000 tonnes of guar.

Cotton production is expected to break all previous records as it has been sown over an area of 6.26 lakh hectares and is likely to yield 16.57 lakh bales against 14.05 lakh bales last season.

The Department has formulated a strategy to deal with the problem of stagnating productivities of various crops. There is a need to develop hybrid seeds of more crops. A varietal breakthrough is required, and CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar is working on it, he said.

It has been observed that there is a gap between the potential yields of the seeds and the realised yields. Efforts are being made to reduce this gap by educating the farmers to improve management practices.

"Thirdly, there is a gap in the yields across various regions in the State. The Department had identified such areas block-wise to focus on increasing the yield of various crops."

However, the State has achieved good seed replacement rate and this has resulted in increasing the yield levels.

The Department has introduced a seed village scheme in each block to motivate the farmers to produce certified seeds and share them with other farmers.

The emphasis is on conservation of natural resources like soil and water to achieve sustainability of agriculture.

The Director (Agriculture), Mr Rajeev Arora, said that it was high time use of hybrid seeds is promoted.

"Haryana is much ahead of others in farm mechanisation as a number of new farm machines have been introduced."

A campaign was also launched on October 1 to test soil and water to help the farmers adopt scientific means of cultivation. Organic farming, vermicompost and micro-irrigation system are being promoted in a big way.

In view of the response received by zero tillage system for sowing of wheat after paddy, it has been targeted to cover 15 lakh acres under zero tillage during the ensuing rabi season against eight lakh acres earlier.

Also, bed planters and rotavators are being made popular by giving 50 per cent subsidy to the farmers on their purchase.

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