With a view to maintain the tempo of accelerated growth in agriculture production, Haryana has envisaged a food grains production target of 157.61 lakh tonne for the year 2008-09 consisting of 51.26 lakh tonne for kharif and 106.35 lakh tonne for rabi season. While stating this here on thursday, Haryana agriculture minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha said that the target of 51.26 lakh tonne comprises of 37.27 lakh tonne of rice, 0.50 lakh tonne of jowar,0.53 lakh tonne of maize,12.02 lakh tonne of bajra and 0.94 lakh tonne of kharif pulses. Similarly, the target of production of sugarcane, cotton and kharif oilseeds have been fixed at 105 lakh tonne, 22.94 lakh bales and 0.08 lakh tonne, respectively.
Chatha informed that to realise these production targets, it had been planned to cover an area of 19.10 lakh hectare under various kharif crops consisting of 10.50 lakh hectare under paddy,1 lakh hectare under jowar,0.20 lakh hectare under maize,6.50 lakh hectare of bajra and 0.90 lakh hectare under kharif pulses. The targets of area coverage under sugarcane, cotton and kharif oilseeds have been fixed at 1.50 lakh, 6 lakh and 0.10 lakh hectare, respectively.
The minister said that gaur was an important industrial crop and its cultivation had also been promoted in the state. Gaur being a leguminous crop was also important for sustainability of agricultural production system due to its ameliorating effect on soil fertility.
Targets of area and production have been fixed at 3.40 lakh hectare and 4.08 lakh tonne during current kharif season. He said that the area of sown cotton sown affected due to crust formation was likely to be shifted towards gaur and to some extent bajra. A comprehensive action plan had been chalked out and was being implemented in the state with higher operational targets of area and production and inputs consumption.