Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Foodgrain output target may not be met

GULBARGA: The steep fall in the coverage of foodgrain and oilseeds crops during the kharif season this year in the State owing to scanty rainfall from May to July will prove dear to the State Government’s plans to increase the foodgrain production to 125.24 lakh tonnes in khariff, rabi and summer seasons this year from 117.75 lakh tonnes achieved during 2007-08 in all the three seasons.

The Government fixed a target of 20.83 lakh tonnes for oilseeds production during the current year as against the last year’s output of 15.57 lakh tonnes.

If the present situation of scanty rainfall continues, the State will find it difficult to achieve the oilseeds production target.

The data available on sowing operations during the kharif season presents a gloomy picture with only 19.77 lakh hectares area covered under sowing so far as against the target of 74.73 lakh hectares of land.

Last year, during the same period farmers had completed sowing in 36.48 lakh hectares of land.

Official sources told The Hindu here on Tuesday that there was a serious shortfall in the coverage under the foodgrain crops this year owing to scanty rainfall. As against the target of 51.07 lakh hectares fixed for the foodgrain crops so far only 11.57 lakh hectares has been covered and last year by this time the sowing of foodgrain crops was completed in 23.53 lakh hectares.

Similarly there has been a shortfall in the coverage of the oilseeds crops and as against the target of 17.33 lakh hectares fixed for oilseeds during the kharif season, so far only 3.71 lakh hectares has come under sowing of oilseed crops.

Among the foodgrain crops, only 8.77 lakh hectares of land has been covered under cereals as against the target of 36.70 lakh hectares. The coverage under the pulses this year was also low at 2.81 lakh hectares of land as against the target of 14.37 lakh hectares.

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