MONSOON FAILURE BRINGS DOWN CROP AREA BY 152 LAKH HECTARES
STATES
URGED TO FOCUS ON PULSES & OIL SEEDS
The worst monsoon
of the century during the Kharif season and inadequate post-monsoon
rainfall have resulted in crop area loss of 152 lakh hectares
during 2002-03, significantly impacting agricultural production
in the country. This was stated by Shri R.C.A. Jain, Secretary
(Agriculture & Cooperation) while inaugurating the National
Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign –2003, here today.
He said the area under Kharif crops declined by 104 lakh hectares
while the decline was 48 lakh hectares during Rabi. For the first
time the Rabi foodgrains production at 93 million tonnes is higher
than Kharif production of 90 million tonnes.
Shri Jain said that
despite a low growth rate of 2.06 per cent in agriculture sector
during the 9th Plan Period, an annual growth rate of
4 per cent in farm sector is possible. It’s feasibility was demonstrated
by the 8th Plan growth rate of 4.69 per cent in this
sector, he said. The food grain production has doubled in 28 years
when it increased from 105 million tonnes in 1973-74 to 212 MTs
in 2001-02.
Shri Jain has urged
the States to diversify agriculture production from Rice-wheat
and Rice. Rice cropping systems to Pulses, Oil Seeds and horticultural
crops to address issues of soil health, irrigation water, chemical
fertilizers etc. States have been asked to earmark the outlay
for Work Plan for 2003-04 for the horticulture sector. While noting
that marketing in a prime constraint in diversification Shri Jain
informed the Conference that model marketing legislation is being
formulated by the Centre to guide the states in implementation
of marketing reforms programme. He further said that the Standing
Committee of State Agriculture Ministers discussed the recommendations
of the Task Force on Agriculture Marketing Reforms. There was
a consensus among all the States on the need to develop competitive
agricultural markets in the private and cooperative sectors, promotion
of direct marketing and contract farming arrangements.
Shri Jain said that
though there was a deadlock in the WTO negotiations on agriculture,
there were some positive developments like acknowledging the food
and the livelihood security concerns of developing countries,
creating a Special Safe Guard (SSG) mechanism for developing countries
in respect of some special/strategic products, marketing and transport
assistance for export of agricultural commodities from developing
countries, etc.
