The Centre has asked the states to ensure full sowing of rabi crops to offset the loss in kharif output caused by erratic monsoon rainfall.
Agriculture secretary JNL Srivastava said at the national rabi conference that late rains in August and September would help boost rabi harvest prospects.
He told agriculture secretaries of states to gauge their preparedness for the rabi season, fix targets for the season and also assess crop production likely in the current kharif.
Availability of certified seeds and fertilisers for the rabi season was adequate and the production target of 220 million tonnes of foodgrains fixed by the Planning Commission for 2002-2003 might be achieved.
The states on their part would have to focus on integrated watershed programme in view of the drought. However, agriculture minister Ajit Singh had recently told National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (Nafed) that the severity of this year
