Haryana sets target to produce 51.26 lakh tonne foodgrain

Haryana sets target to produce 51.26 lakh tonne foodgrain

Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana has set a target to produce 51.26 lakh tonnes of foodgrains during Kharif 2008 as against the actual production of 49.03 lakh tonnes of foodgrains during Kharif 2007 thus showing an increase of 4.5 per cent.

A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting of the State level Coordination Committee for Agricultural Production, which met here on Friday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The Kharif 2008 would include rice-37.27 lakh tonnes, Jawar 50,000 tonnes, Bajra- 12.02 lakh tonnes, Maize 53,000 tonnes and Kharif pulses 94,000 tonnes. A target has been fixed to produce 22.94 lakh bales of cotton as against achievement of 18.85 lakh bales produced last year.

While reviewing availability and consumption of fertilizers during Kharif 2008, Hooda said that he has written to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to seek their intervention in timely supply of DAP fertilizer to the State so that the farmers might not suffer for want of DAP fertilizer.

Hooda also directed the State Agriculture Department to set up its own flying squads to check the quality of agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.