Haryana is expecting a production of 40,000 metric tonnes of ‘summer moong’ this year, as it has been cultivated over an area of 50,000 hectares in the state.
Summer moong is being promoted in a big way in the state as an alternative to ‘saathi’ (summer paddy), which is a water guzzling crop.
While stating this, a spokesman of agriculture department said that the department has a plan to bring about one lakh hectares of area under cultivation of moong during summer 2012 season. The Central Government has announced MSP of moong for the year 2011-12 as Rs 3500 per quintal. An additional incentive of Rs 500 per quintal will also be available for two months during the harvesting or arrival period. This, he said, would further motivate the farmers for cultivation of summer moong in larger area.
He said that summer moong being a crop with very short duration of maturing in 60 to 65 days, fits well in paddy-wheat cropping system and it yields eight to ten quintals per hectare. The cultivation of summer moong provided an additional income of about Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per hectare to the farmers in a short span of 60 days. Certified seeds of SML-668 variety of Summer Moong have been provided to the farmers with 50 per cent subsidy through the sale outlets of Haryana Seeds Development Corporation under Seed Village Programme.
He said that the Central Government had fixed Minimum Support Price (MSP) of moong as Rs 3170 per quintal for the crop season 2010-11. An additional incentive of Rs 500 per quintal was also payable for two months on the produce arriving in the market from October 1, 2010. He added that Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had taken up this issue with the Central Government as summer moong was cultivated in the State from March to May. Therefore, the Central Government had also allowed an incentive of Rs 500 per quintal for two months during harvesting or arrival period prior to October 1, 2011. Consequently, the State Government notified harvesting period of summer moong from May 1 to June 25, 2011.
He said that this decision would help the farmers in availing the incentive of Rs 500 per quintal on the moong crop during summer 2011. He advised the farmers that in case the market price fell below the MSP, they should contact HAFED or NAFED to sell their produce on MSP.
While describing moong as an important pulse crop, he said that being leguminous in nature, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen and improves the soil fertility. Being rich in protein, moong is an important component of diet and its consumption helps in reducing malnutrition to some extent.
He said that summer moong would be an appropriate alternative to summer paddy. With the enactment of the Haryana Preservation Water Act, 2009, the cultivation of summer paddy has already been prohibited before May 15.
In the State. A campaign was launched for the promotion of this crop during summer 2011.
