(a) whether it is true that drop in area under cultivation for crops such as rice, pulses and oilseeds is due to severe floods or drought, if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether it is also true around 4 million hectares of agricultural land have fallen victim to the vagaries’ of nature this monsoon;
(c) if so, the details thereof;
(d) the steps being taken or proposed to be taken by the Government to overcome the expected foodgrain shortage in the country; and
(e) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
???? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ( SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)
(a) to (c): The area coverage under field crops like rice, pulses, oilseeds etc. fluctuates from season to season and this is attributed to various reasons, which include monsoon rains, preference of farmers to crops, soil moisture availability, prices of commodities and natural calamities like drought and floods. There is a delay in monsoon as a result of which final sowing figures are not yet confirmed.
(d) & (e): Based on the forecast of weather and monsoon, the appropriate cropping pattern is recommended for the benefits of the farmers. The choice of crop and variety are considered more appropriate in rainfed crop production systems in the context of weather aberration for sustainable agriculture. ICAR- Central Research Institute for Dry land Agriculture (CRIDA), Hyderabad, in collaboration with State Agricultural Universities has prepared crop contingency plan for 648 districts in the country to sustain agriculture production in the eventuality of any sudden change in weather. Besides, the various departments are meeting every week to review crop condition, rainfall situation, status of water storage and input availability in the states. Based on the Crop Weather Watch Report, advisories are being issued to the States/ Union Territories for implementation of contingency plans. Besides, there is also a system to send weather based advisory to registered farmers by SMS through m-kisan portal.
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In addition, Government is also providing incentives to the farmers for-
a) Distribution of certified seeds of short duration High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) tolerant to drought/Stress.
b) Organising cluster demonstrations on stress tolerant varieties, direct seeded rice sowing techniques, System of Rice Intensification (SRI) techniques, etc.,
c) Popularization of alternative crops and varieties in drought affected areas.
d) Water saving devices like sprinkler, drip irrigation, pumpsets, raingun etc.
e) All types of water carrying pipes for conservation and efficient use of irrigation water.
f) Machineries for zero tillage, happy seeder & resource conservation machineries/tools etc.
g) Efficient utilization of moisture available in rice fallows for pulses & nutri-cereals and optimizing utilization by efficient irrigation system.
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