CHENNAI: With rain gods finally smiling on Tamil Nadu and the met department predicting a normal Northeast monsoon, the State agriculture department has increased foodgrain target for 2019-20 from 115 lakh metric tonnes to 125 lakh metric tonnes. Plus, an effort will be made to beat the 2014-15 record of 127.95 metric tonnes.
“We have already conducted zonal-level review meetings in Tiruchy, Salem, Villupuram and Madurai on the Foodgrain Mission. The officials were briefed about the technical interventions to be applied. The farmers have been advised to cultivate high-yielding varieties and awareness programmes for this are on. The progress is reviewed once in 45 days in each zone,” official sources told Express. Farmers in Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram, which are drought-prone, would be encouraged to cultivate millets in at least 20% of area where paddy is cultivated. This would help them in achieving more with less water.
“The programmed area of coverage - i.e., the target fixed for cultivation area for the current year is 47.75 lakh hectare, which includes paddy, pulses, oil seeds, cotton, sugarcane, etc. So far, one third area (15.14 lakh acres) has been covered. Of this, the target for cultivation area for paddy is 18.5 lakh hectares. Till date, 5.46 lakh hectare has been covered and the rest will be covered soon. The target for paddy has been fixed at 78 lakh metric tonnes,” an official said.
Similarly, the target for cultivation area for millets is nine lakh hectares of which, 4.34 lakh hectares has already been covered. The production target for millets is fixed at 40 lakh metric tonnes. For pulses, targeted cultivation area is 9.4 lakh hectares, of which 1.60 lakh hectare has been covered and production target is seven lakh metric tonnes. For oil seeds, cultivation area target is 5.2 lakh hectares, of which 2.14 lakh hectares have been covered already.
The official pointed out that during 2018-19, the amin was to achieve 125 lakh million tonness, but Gaja and Fall Armyworms attack in 17 districts played spoilsport in achieving it.Foodgrain production in 2018-19 was 104 lakh MTs.