(a) whether the Government proposes to promote monsoon based agriculture in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the steps being taken by the Government in this regard; and
(d) the progress made in this regard so far?
(a) whether the Government proposes to promote monsoon based agriculture in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the steps being taken by the Government in this regard; and
(d) the progress made in this regard so far?
MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE (SHRI SHARAD PAWAR)
(a) to (d): The Government is promoting agriculture both in irrigated and rainfed areas. Out of
total agricultural area of about 142 million hectare, about 40% is irrigated and 60% is rainfed.
Water and moisture conservation is the main strategy for improving monsoon based agriculture.
Government of India is implementing following schemes for soil and moisture conservation to promote
monsoon based agriculture.
Ministry of Agriculture
(i) National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA).
(ii) Soil Conservation in the Catchments of River Valley Projects and Flood Prone River (RVP
& FPR)
(iii) Watershed Development Project in Shifting Cultivation Areas (WDPSCA)
(iv) Reclamation of Alkali Soils (RAS)
Ministry of Rural Development
(v) Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP)
(vi) Desert Development Programme (DDP)
(vii) Integrated Waste Land Development Programme (IWDP)
The total cumulative area developed under these programmes since inception till March, 2005 is
25.30 million hectares, at an expenditure of Rs.8968.07 crores.
Besides, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed suitable crop varieties
for dryland rainfed conditions for increasing agriculture production.