Punjab, which was not growing paddy earlier, is now its largest producer,soyabean has come up in MP, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, two or three crops ofpaddy in a year in eastern and southern India are common, groundnut is now abig crop in Gujarat, AP, Tamil Nadu, and sunflower in Maharashtra are someof the fine examples of work done at the grassroots level.

In the last decade, although the tempo of development has not beensustained, many state governments have on their own taken up the work well.One of the best programmes of the decade is the fruit cultivation workundertaken by Maharashtra. Maharashtra has been a front-runner in fruitcultivation. Oranges in Vidarbha, bananas in Khandesh, grapes in Nasik, Puneand Sangli, mango and chikku in the Konkan belt were well cultivated. Thearea under fruit crop reached 2.5 lakh hectares by 1990. The stategovernment then decided to implement a systematic programme and has in 10years increased the area under fruits from 2.5 to 10. lakh hectare.

The state government was quick to realise that bananas and grapes needed nosupport and would grow on their own. These two crops were kept out of theprogramme. Sure enough, banana has spread to Nanded, Parbhani and southernMaharashtra, grapes have come up in a big way in Sholapur, Latur, parts ofSatara, Kolhapur and Ahmednagar. Yields per hectare have also improved bysix to eight tonnes per hectare due to better management, drip irrigationand control of pests and diseases.

There are many facets worth noting of the programme implemented. It wastaken up as a part of the employment guarantee programme of the state. Sothere was no paucity of funds. Crops covered under irrigated condition arecoconut, orange, mosambi, chikku, pomegranate, guava, fig and lemon andunder rainfed conditions, mango, cashewnut, custard apple, tamarind, kokam,jamun, aola, phanas, ber and kavath.

The programme was administratively well designed and implemented. Decisionswere taken in time. Committees have been set up at the state, divisional,district and village, level to implement and supervise the programme.

Adequate sanctioning powers are given up to sub-divisional agriculturalofficer level for speedy implementation. Farmers are involved in theimplementation by allowing two progressive fruit farmers to participate inthe village committee. A time-bound programme is set up for selection offarmers who would benefit from this programme, for their training, forformation of pits for planting and supply of saplings for planting. Perfarmer minimum coverage would be 0.1 hectare in eastern Maharashtra andKonkan, and elsewhere 0.2 hectare and maximum benefit would four hectaresper farmer. For Konkan this limit is six hectares. Selection of farmers iscarefully done with preference to proposals covering wastelands, or rainfedfruit cultivation, new villages and new beneficiaries, lady farmers orfarmers having lands with steady plateau. Soil testing is compulsory.

Preference is also given to farmers of backward community and small holders.The financial support is liberally extended for three years. This is in theform of material and labour cost. First year the assistance was given to allselected farmers but in the second year it was only given if survival percent of planted trees was 75 per cent for irrigated and 50 per cent inrainfed crops and for the third year survival per cent must be 90 and 75 percents in these two categories. Total expense per hectare allowed was nearlyRs 27,000 of which nearly 50 per cent was given in the first year.

The state government ensures that adequate saplings are available forplanting. These are raised in government nurseries, agri-universitynurseries and private nurseries. For example this year the requirement ofsaplings to cover 60,000 hectares was 12.8 million against whichavailability was 7.5 million from government 1.7 million fromagri-university and 14.2 million from private sources. Small support in thisis also available from Krishi Vikas Kendras and government corporations.

In 10 years, the average increase in area under fruit crops is 75,000hectares per year. This is excellent. Success in rainfed fruit cultivationis very high. Wastelands and hills are being put to productive use. Now theprogramme also covers condiments and spices in Konkan belt or planting fruittrees on the banks of paddy fields in the eastern Maharashtra. Next paperwill cover the success details, lessons for the nation and some suggestionsfor further improvement of the programme. However, the achievements so farare excellent.

The author is a Rama Phosphates director