Rice production must double in 5 years: Agriculture secretary Rajesh Lakhoni
13 Jun 2015 12:53 PM IST
He was in the city to address the 81st Scientific Workers Conference 2015 at TNAU
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University conducted the 81st scientific workers conference 2015 at Anna auditorium in Coimbatore on Friday. (Photo: DC)
COIMBATORE: The production of rice and pulses should be doubled and millet productivity should be tripled in Tamil Nadu within the next five year, the agriculture secretary, Rajesh Lakhoni said on Friday.
The agriculture secretary appealed to scientists to identify and focus on top three diseases in each crop and develop disease-resistant varieties. The expenditure in fertilisers and pesticides incurred by farmers should be reduced.
He was in the city to address the 81st Scientific Workers Conference 2015 at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University where more than 500 scientists and farmers participated. The state director of agriculture, Dr M. Rajendran said that the cropping area had shrunk from 66 lakh hectare in 1990 to 42 lakh hectare now.
Cropping intensity which was 120 per cent has shrunk to 110 per cent now. Average rainfall which was 1,200 mm during the 90s had now come down to 900 mm. Average land holding which was 1.2 hectare has dipped to 0.8 hectare.
The contribution of agriculture to GDP was 42 per cent in 1960, but at present, it is just 6 per cent. The production was 86 lakh mt in 2000. But within a short span of 15 years, the production has increased to 127 lakh mt.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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