The Hindu : National : Incentives likely for States for meeting rabi targets

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 22, 2004

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National

Incentives likely for States for meeting rabi targets

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 21. To make up for a shortfall of eight per cent in the output of kharif crops, the Government proposes to give incentives to the State Governments and extension workers for meeting rabi targets, the Union Minister for Food and Agriculture, Sharad Pawar, has said. The shortfall in the output of rice, coarse cereals, pulses and sugarcane is due to the delayed monsoon.

Releasing the first advance estimates of kharif here on Monday, Mr. Pawar said the States that met the targets would be rewarded with an additional plan outlay on micro-management from the Rs. 540-crore additional outlay that the Ministry of Agriculture got. This would be for micro-irrigation, horticulture, dryland farming and the genetic upgradation of cattle for the next five months.

The advance estimates of kharif, which went through a delayed monsoon and floods in parts of the country, show the production to be 100.29 million tonnes against 108 million tonnes (first advance estimates) last year. The fourth and final estimates are likely in June next year.

The target for foodgrain production for 2004-05 is 235 million tonnes against the production of 212 million tonnes last year. The target for kharif is 100 million tonnes and for rabi it is 135 million tonnes. The total estimates for this year are yet to come.

Mr. Pawar said the Government would soon announce the minimum support price (MSP) of 25 commodities and the statutory minimum price of sugarcane for farmers to plan out their production well in advance. The States have also been asked to monitor rural credit on a weekly basis.

Giving details of the advance estimates of the kharif output, he said that rice production was 71.1 million tonnes this year compared to 75.5 million tonnes last year. Coarse cereals this year were 24.50 million tonnes against 27.96 million tonnes last year. Kharif pulses this year are 4.69 million tonnes against 5.44 million tonnes last year. The total oilseeds production would be 15.45 million tonnes against 15 million tonnes last year. There has been a slight improvement in the output of groundnut, soyabean and cotton.

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