Odisha government sets 117.5 lakh tonne foodgrain production target

BHUBANESWAR: With the meteorological department predicting a near normal rainfall this monsoon, the State government has prepared an ambitious foodgrain production plan for Kharif 2021-22 season amidst Covid-19 pandemic.

The Agriculture department has set a target of 117.5 lakh tonne of foodgrain production in the ensuing Kharif season against 96 lakh tonne last year.

The Kharif Campaign-2021 prepared by the department said a programme has been made to produce 102 lakh tonne of paddy, 5.3 lakh tonne of pulses, 3.01 lakh tonne of oil seeds, 6.82 lakh bales of cotton, 5.39 tonne of spices and 72 lakh tonne of vegetables.The programme was discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Agriculture Minister Arun Sahoo. 

He said the department is giving thrust on crop diversification by increasing area under pulses, oilseeds and other remunerative crops like spices and vegetables.It has been decided to cover 1.5 lakh hectare (ha) under non-paddy crops.

Farmers will be encouraged to take up cash crops as paddy is no more getting remunerative. The government is laying more emphasis on allied agriculture activities like fisheries, dairy, goatery and horticulture activities.

With Akshaya Tritiya over and farmers ready for land preparation, the State Seeds Corporation has already prepositioned 4 lakh tonne of seeds at different locations of the State. It has been planned to provide 5.36 lakh tonne of seeds and 9.15 lakh tonne of chemical fertilisers to the farmers. 

The Minister said the government has planned to extend short term credit of Rs 17,654 crore out of which Rs 9,000 crore would be given through cooperative credit structures to farmers during the ensuing kharif season.

Over 65 per cent of the kharif and rabi loan were provided by the cooperative banks, he added. Special focus will be given to landless farmers and the government has decided to provide them crop loans through joint liability groups under BALARAM scheme. He said contingency plan has been made to counter any adverse conditions.