Haryana has been selected for the Best Performing State Award for wheat for 2010-11, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said on Monday.
The award would be presented by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on ICAR Foundation Day in New Delhi on July 16.
He disclosed that the award money, Rs.1 crore in cash, would be used for strengthening the infrastructure in the State. This is the first time Haryana has bagged such an award, he added.
Mr. Hooda said the State was making dedicated efforts to extend technological inputs and services to farmers which resulted in “achieving highest-ever productivity and production of wheat during 2010-11”.
“Food security in India is synonymous with wheat production. Hence consistent efforts are being made to increase wheat production to meet our ever-increasing demand despite numerous challenges ,” he added.
An area of 24 lakh to 25 lakh hectares is generally cultivated under wheat and during 2008-09 wheat production reached 113.60 metric tonnes with productivity of 4,614 kg per hectares, highest in the country. As a result, the State contributed 69.2 lakh metric tonnes of wheat to the Central pool which was the second highest after Punjab.