Govt to undertake crop-wise planning to boost yields starting with soybean

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says crop-wise reviews will begin with soybean in MP as kharif sowing surges 10 per cent above last year's acreage

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said the government would now undertake crop-wise and state-wise planning to align future strategies with the objective of finding suitable solutions.

 

He also expressed optimism that sowing of kharif crops would exceed normal levels this year, supported by a strong southwest monsoon.

 

Chouhan said the crop-wise review would begin with soybean farmers in Madhya Pradesh on June 26, followed by reviews for cotton and sugarcane growers. Chouhan said targeted approach will be adopted for pulses, oilseeds, soybean, cotton and sugarcane.

 

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a day-long review of the recently concluded mass contact programme, Vikshit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan. 

 

On the availability of inputs, Chouhan said all necessary arrangements had been made to ensure the smooth sowing of kharif crops.

 

According to latest data, kharif sowing continued at a brisk pace during the week ending June 20, surpassing the acreage covered during the same period last year by 10 per cent.

 

This came on the back of the southwest monsoon’s continued advancement across the country.

 

By June 20, kharif crops had been sown over around 13.74 million hectares. Among all crops, paddy, which is the main foodgrain grown during the kharif season, had been planted over 1.32 million hectares, which is nearly 60 per cent more than the area covered during the same period last year.

 

Only oilseeds sowing is lagging, though it is expected to gather pace as the monsoon progresses into Central India. India received 105 millimetres of rainfall between June 1 and June 22 this year, just 1 per cent below normal. By the second week of June, the deficit had exceeded 30 per cent as the monsoon stalled after an early onset.

 

Meanwhile, the agriculture ministry has approved the procurement of moong and urad at Minimum Support Price (MSP) under the Price Support Scheme in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. These two states had long sought assistance for direct procurement following a fall in market prices below their fixed MSPs.