Agriculture ministry to organise conference on Kharif season

The agriculture ministry will organise a two-day national conference beginning on September 22 to review the Kharif season production and formulate strategies for the ensuing Rabi season in the backdrop of a rainfall deficit.

Enhancing the area under irrigation and using water efficiently, promoting organic farming and horticulture are among the topics that would be discussed intensively in the conference.

To be inaugurated by union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, the 'National conference on agriculture for rabi campaign 2015-16', would also have a detailed discussion on ways of promoting pulses and oil seeds and creating a nationally integrated market.

Besides, administrators, technocrats, agricultural scientists, representatives of various central departments and autonomous bodies would be delving into issues related to the agriculture crisis and their solutions, an official statement said on Saturday.

In India, the Kharif cropping season is from July-October, while the Rabi cropping season is from October-March.

Kharif crops include rice, maize, bajra, pulses like arhar, soyabean, groundnut (oil seeds) and cotton, while wheat, barley, gram, and mustard are some of the rabi crops.

During the current monsoon season, the cumulative rainfall has been deficient by 15 percent, causing India's foodgrain production to dip to 124.05 million tonnes in the Kharif season.