The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : State foodgrain output to cross 200 lakh tonnes

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Thursday, Jun 12, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

State foodgrain output to cross 200 lakh tonnes

Special Correspondent

YSR releases Rs. 32,074-cr action plan

HYDERABAD: Buoyed by the record yield during the previous year, the State government has set a target of achieving foodgrain production in excess of 200 lakh tonnes during the current year.

The foodgrain production in the State has crossed 190 lakh tonnes as against the expected 180 lakh tonnes during the previous year despite untimely rain and hailstorm during rabi.

The record yield has contributed to significant rise in the growth rate of the priority sector that registered a 12 per cent growth.

Overall growth

“The growth in agriculture is higher than the overall growth rate in the State which is 10.46 per cent,” Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has said.

Dr. Reddy spoke to media after releasing the Integrated Action plan for farmers for the year 2008-09 on Wednesday.

Budgetary provision

The action plan involving 21 departments envisages a budgetary provision of Rs. 32,074 crore for agriculture an allied sectors.

This is much higher when compared to the Rs. 4,280-crore budget in 2003-04 and the agriculture credit also rose from Rs. 9,019 crore to Rs. 26,251 crore during the period.

The Chief Minister said agriculture sector was projected to achieve 4.5 per cent growth during the current year against the national average of 4 per cent and the contribution of Andhra Pradesh to the national foodgrain production was set to exceed the present 10 per cent.

The government had earmarked Rs. 500 crore to Markfed for purchase of fertilisers and another Rs. 500 crore would be utilised for farm mechanisation.

Dr. Reddy admitted that there was short supply in the fertiliser segment because of the steep rise in the cost of raw material and inputs.

In addition, the Centre’s decision to enhance the subsidy on fertilisers from Rs. 30,000 crore to Rs. 1.03 lakh crore was resulting in delays and the State government had initiated measures to correct this.

Sugarcane production

Replying to queries, he admitted that the sugarcane farmers were not getting remunerative prices for their produce and attributed this to the significant increase in production that dropped the costs. The government had, therefore, decided to bring down the acreage of sugarcane during the current year.

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