The Hindu Business Line : 11th Plan rice output target fixed at 115 m tonnes

Hyderabad April 16 With estimates putting the country's rice requirements at 120 million tonnes (mt) by 2020, plans are afoot to reach that well before that year.

As against the production of 92.8 mt in 2006-07, the concluding year of the 10th Plan, the first year of the new Plan (2007-08) is targeted to achieve 97.43 mt.

The subsequent years in the Plan, too, are expected to add more than 4 mt each and touch 114.86 mt in 2011-12, the last year in the Plan, according to Dr M.C. Diwakar, Director of Directorate of Rice Development (Patna).

Dr Diwakar, who was here to attend a national-level meet on rice last week, made a presentation on plans for increasing productivity and production in the country during the new Plan period.

Production of rice had gone up to 92.8 mt in 2006-07 from 82.54 mt in 1997-98. The trend showed ups and downs in the last 10 years. The production levels shot up to 93.34 mt in 2001-02 as against 84.98 mt in 2000-01. But it plummeted to 71.82 mt a year later. The following year, however, it stood at 88.53 mt.

As part of achieving the targets, it proposes to expand the scope of "Central sector rice seed mini-kit demonstration programme" by spending Rs 40 crore.

The scheme is aimed at promoting improved crop production technologies.

Dr Diwakar suggested that it was time to adopt run-off water management practices suited to the conditions of individual farm holdings, motivating the farmers to provide life-saving irrigation to the crop wherever possible during long dry spells.

Emphasis should also be given on balanced use of plant nutrients along with the popularisation of integrated plant management system and method of applying nutrients in standing water (such as neem cake coated urea).

The Plan also strongly advocated promotion of SRI (System of Rice Intensification) cultivation in upland and medium low land. While reducing the seed requirement, it significantly cut down on water requirement.