Chhattisgarh eyeing to step up paddy production by 2% this Kharif season

State has set a target of 8.2 million tonnes; Last year, it was among top 3 rice-producing states

Chhattisgarh, one of the largest contributors of rice in India, has set a target to produce 8.2 million tonnes (mt) of paddy in the upcoming kharif season this year.

The output target is two per cent higher than the state's paddy output during the last Kharif season.

Chhattisgarh, known as the rice bowl of the country, had produced 8.04 mt of rice and was among the top three rice-contributing states last year.

According to the procurement figures released by the Food Corporation of India (FCI), Punjab led the country with a contribution of 11 million tonnes of rice to the central pool, followed by Haryana, (3.5 mt) and Chhattisgarh, (3.03 mt).

Inspite of the increased target, paddy acreage in the state has come down by 3 per cent in the upcoming Kharif season in 2017. Paddy would be sown in 3.65 million hectares of land, down from 3.37 million hectares in the year-ago period.

Chhattisgarh is also among the few states that procures paddy through government-run societies at minimum support price (MSP). Last year, about 6.9 mt of paddy was procured by the the state's nodal agency for procurement, Chhattisgarh Marketing Federation.

Purchases worth around Rs 9,000 crore were made, thereby helping the state strengthen its rural economy.

Overall foodgrain production in the state had been pegged at 9.17 mt, which is up by 4 per cent as compared to output achieved in 2016.

According to the state's agriculture department officials, a greater thrust would be given to crop diversification and increasing productivity due to the diminishing prospects of horizontal expansion. It was also said that a greater emphasis would be laid on increasing in area under maize, pulses and oilseeds.