(a) the production of crops and the area under dry land farming during each of
the last three years and the current year, Statewise;
(b) whether technologies/methods for appropriate treatment of land for
conservation of moisture exists in the country to boost dry land farming;
(c) if so, the details thereof; and
(d) the steps taken by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi Arid
Tropics (ICRISAT) to boost production in rainfed/ dry land areas?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES
(SHRI TARIQ ANWAR)
(a): Ministry of Agriculture does not maintain separate crop production data for
irrigated and dryland/rainfed areas. As per available estimates, major
rainfed/dryland crops and their percentage coverage under dryland/rainfed
conditions are: rice (42%), jowar (91%), bajara (91%), maize (61%), gram (68%), tur
(95%), groundnut (76%) and soyabean (99%). Production of major rainfed / dryland
crops and area coverage during last 3 years (2009-10 to 2011-12) and current year
(2012-13) are in Annexure I (A-C).
(b) & (c): Yes, Madam. Details of technologies developed by Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR) for conservation of moisture are at Annexure II.
(d): International Crops Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has
developed and tested different in-situ and ex-situ conservation technologies at
watershed scale for different rainfall regions in the country. These include low cost
water harvesting structures and in-situ bunding systems for effective water
management. These practices minimize land degradation, improve soil health and
increase soil moisture availability and ground water recharge. Similarly the
construction of gully control structures, earthen check dams, etc. across the stream
channel helps to reduce the peak discharge, prevention of gully formation and
harvest substantial amount of runoff and also increase ground water recharge.
ICRISAT has also developed an innovative watershed development model as
well as soil-test based nutrient management strategies as an entry point to enhance
agricultural productivity. This has been tested in the states of Rajasthan,
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh. In Karnataka
Bhoochetana mission mode programme resulted in increase of crop yields ranging
from 20 to 50 percent during last four years.