BHUBANESWAR: Even as field preparation and broadcasting (sowing) of kharif paddy and non-paddy crops have started due to excess pre-monsoon rainfall in May and the first week of June, the State government is yet to prepare its foodgrain production plan fixing crop-wise targets for the kharif season 2022-23.
It has been a practice since long that the Chief Secretary of the State issues a circular in the form of a booklet called ‘Kharif Campaign’ in April, the start of the kharif season, every year to district collectors. The Centre has already announced its kharif plan on April 19 setting a national target of foodgrain production of 3,280 lakh tonne, pulses at 295.5 lakh tonne and 413.4 lakh tonne of oilseeds.
Sources in the Agriculture department told this paper that a draft plan on the foodgrain production for the current kharif season has been sent to the government for approval. After it gets approved, the draft will be sent to the government press for printing. After reconstitution of the Cabinet and appointment of a new Agriculture Minister, it will take some time to get the draft plan approved, the sources added.
The objective of such an advance planning is to assess and review the crop performance during the previous crop seasons and set targets for the current kharif season in consultation with departments concerned, researchers and agricultural experts from the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) and National Rice Research Institute (NRRI).
“While high priority is being given to crop diversification, an agro-ecological based crop planning is needed for the diversion of land from excess commodities like rice to deficit commodities such as pulses, oilseeds and high-value crops for export earnings,” said a senior officer of the department dealing with kharif programme.
As per the draft plan, the programme area for kharif crops has been set at 61.8 lakh hectare out of which 35 lakh hectare is for paddy crops, over 8.3 lakh for pulses, 3.7 lakh hectares for oilseeds and over 5.5 lakh hectares for vegetables.
Sowing of non-paddy crops like maize, pulses, jute, oilseeds, vegetables and spices has also started and the overall crop condition is normal, said sources in the Directorate of Agriculture and Food Production.
There is adequate availability of critical inputs like seeds and fertilisers, but low lifting of paddy seeds from government agencies under the DBT scheme is a worrying factor.