Thursday, June 16, 2016

Focus on maize, soya bean and pulses for kharif


The Government is proposing to increase the cultivation of maize, soya bean and pulses in the coming kharif and reduce the cotton area in view of the likely fall in cotton prices globally this year, according to Agriculture Minister P. Srinivas Reddy here.
A total of 45.49 lakh hectares would have these three alternative crops and others including 6.14 lakh hectares of maize, 5.02 lakh hectares of soya bean and 4.85 lakh hectares of red gram.
The cotton crop area cultivation too was being reduced 10.64 lakh hectares with the Chief Minister, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, too advising the same.
Giving details of the salient features of the various schemes being implemented during this crop season (2016-17), the Minister said here on Wednesday that it was proposed to supply 8.49 lakh quintals of seed, including 5.69 lakh quintals during the kharif and 2.80 lakh quintals during rabi.
For strengthening the seed chain an amount of Rs.400 crore was being spent. Seed village programmes were being taken up on 24,390 hectares while the Telangana State Seed Development Corporation (TSSDC) was planning to produce eight lakh quintals of seed of various varieties through farmers. Development of 10 seed storage godown-cum-processing units was also being taken up, said Mr. Reddy.
As far as fertilizer was concerned, it was proposed to supply 17.30 lakh metric tonnes during kharif and 12.25 lakh metric tonnes of various varieties during rabi. Markfed had been appointed nodal agency for storing three lakh metric tonnes of fertilizers.

Source : The Hindu 

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