June 17, 2012

 

 

On the hopes of average rains and higher yield, the Andhra Pradesh government of India has set a 20% increase goal in its food grain output to achieve 21.8 million tonnes for the current year (2012-13).

 

Among the food grains, a 50% rise in pulses has been proposed for the year to 1.82 million tonnes from 1.21 million tonnes last year.

 

Last year's food grain output stood at 18.26 million tonnes under the impact of adverse seasonal conditions.

 

The annual Agriculture Action Plan covering the two seasons with production targets along with various support schemes being undertaken by the government has been released by the state agriculture minister Kanna Laxminarayana on Thursday (June 14).

 

These targets, covering the two crop seasons of ensuring Kharif as well as Rabi, however, are 7.32% higher compared to near optimum farm output of 20.31 million tonnes registered in the year 2010-11.

 

The highest ever food grain production of 20.42 million tonnes was recorded in the year 2008-09. Rice and corn account for around 90% of the food grains produced in the state.

 

The rice and corn output this year is proposed to be about 15.39 million tonnes and 4 million tonnes respectively with crop area remaining more or less unchanged as compared to last year. Higher productivity in paddy is anticipated due to certain governmental interventions focusing on increasing the yield levels, according to M Madhusudana Rao, Commissioner of Agriculture.

 

Last year's output of these two important crops stood at 18.25 million tonnes and 3.62 million tonnes, respectively.

 

However, the acreage under pulses is expected to touch 22.15 lakh hectares this year compared to 19.29 lakh hectares last year.

 

Groundnut, the major oil seed crop in the state has been targeted at 1.59 million tonnes this year, which is almost equal to the actual output in 2010-11. Production of Sunflower, though a much smaller crop compared to groundnut, is expected to be more than doubled this year to 2.87 lakh tonnes from 1.05 lakh tonnes last year.

 

Among the commercial crops, the action plan targets suggest a 40% increase at 4.75 million bales in cotton production during the current year as compared to the actual output of 3.37 million bales in 2011-12.