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	<img align="" alt="Govt's food security programme to cost $21 billion a year: Paswan" class="imgCont" height="464" src="http://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/img/article/2016-11/03/full/1478161885-8806.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #DDD; margin-right: 10px; padding: 1px; float: left; z-index: 0;" title="Govt's food security programme to cost $21 billion a year: Paswan" width="620" />
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		Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Tuesday claimed the demonetisation drive hasn&rsquo;t had any impact on rabi sowing.</div>
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		His comments come a day after the Centre allowed farmers to use the demonetised Rs 500 notes to purchase seeds from select outlets.</div>
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		Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said more relaxations for farmers were in the offing.</div>
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		In a statement issued on Tuesday, Singh said some people were trying to serve their own vested interests by spreading a rumour that sowing of rabi crops had been impacted. Quoting official figures, the minister said wheat has been sown on 7.94 million hectares till November 18. During the corresponding period last year, wheat was planted on 7.88 million hectares.</div>
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		&nbsp;Similarly, pulses have been planted on 7.45 million hectares, against 6.99 million hectares during the corresponding period last year. Both the crops have seen higher sowing areas this year. But a closer look at data showed that till the week ended November 11, sowing of rabi crops increased 80%, while between November 11 and 18 it grew 65%.</div>
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		In West Bengal, he said, around 0.23 million hectares have been covered till November 18, against 0.22 million hectares sown during the corresponding period last year.</div>
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		In Uttar Pradesh, rabi crops have been sown on 3.37 million hectares, against 2.59 million hectares in the year-ago period. The Centre last week allowed farmers to withdraw Rs 25,000 a week from their own bank accounts and also permitted registered wholesalers and traders in agricultural produce market committees to withdraw up to Rs 50,000 a week from their own accounts to ease the cash crunch.</div>
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		Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, during a video conference on Monday, had directed cooperative banks to step up their lending to farmers.e</div>
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Centre has allowed farmers to use old Rs 500 notes to buy seeds

Govt's food security programme to cost $21 billion a year: Paswan

A day after the Centre allowed farmers to use the old RS 500 notes to purchase seeds from select outlets, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh claimed that demonitisation hasn't had any impact on sowing of rabi crops.In a statement issued today, Singh said that some people are trying to serve their own vested interests by spreading the rumor sowing of rabi crops have been impacted.Quoting official figures, the minister said that till November 18, wheat has been sown in around 7.94 million hectares of land, while during the same period last year wheat was planted in around 7.88 million hectares of land.Similarly, pulses has been planted in around 7.45 million hectares of land, as against 6.99 million hectares during the same period last year.Though, both the crops have been planted in an area more than last year, but a closer look at data shows that overall till the week ended Nov 11, sowing of rabi crops increased by 80 per cent, while between November 11 to 18 it grew by around 65 p

Agriculture minister says sowing not hit by note ban

Centre has allowed farmers to use old Rs 500 notes to buy seeds

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