Department of Agriculture, Government of Chhattisgarh

1. Department of Agriculture, Government of Chhattisgarh Welcomes you

2. Presentation on National Conference on Agriculture for Rabi Campaign 2005-06 15 – 16th September, 2005 B.K.S. RAY Agriculture Production Commissioner & Principal Secretary

3. Funds received from Central Government, its utilisation Unit - Rs. in lakh *1. Rs. 770 lakh under Macro Mgt. - Rainfed Farming System could not be utilized due to 25% subsidy provision where as for similar components in other schemes as NWDPRA (Farm pond, recharge of well) & ISOPOM (distribution of pumping set, sprinkler, water carrying pipes), the subsidy provision is 100% & 50% respectively. 2. Hence, revised proposal of Rs. 770 lakh under Macro Mgt. - Rainfed Farming System scheme is being submitted.

4. Funds received, utilisation (Contd….) Year 2005-06 Unit - Rs. in lakh

5. Fund received, utilisation (Contd….) Year 2005-06 Unit - Rs. in lakh

6. State of readiness for additional funds during financial year 2005-06 1. Action Plan for Rabi 05-06 has been finalized

7. Readiness for additional funds (Contd….) 2. Provision of State Govt. share in the Budget of 2005-06 for various on-going and new centrally sponsored schemes has been made. 3. Proposal of Rs. 3.88 crore has been sanctioned by GOI for strengthening of seed processing and storage infrastructure. Rs. 1.50 crore has been released. Balance fund awaited.

8. Readiness for additional funds Contd…. 4. Chhattisgarh State Seed & Agriculture Development Corporation has submitted proposal of Rs. 4.65 crore to GOI under Seed Bank, Processing & Storage strengthening scheme. 5. Under Rainfed Farming System scheme Rs. 7.70 crore has been released. Proposal for utilizing this fund under NWDPRA & RVP schemes is being submitted.

9. Readiness for additional funds (Contd….) • Administrative approval of Rs. 70.00 lakh each has been given for Pesticides and Bio-control labs. Rs. 45.00 lakh each has been released. Remaining fund is awaited. • Rs. 60.00 lakh has been sanctioned under NOVOD Board scheme. Rs. 30.00 lakh has been released. Remaining fund is awaited.

10. Readiness for additional funds (Contd….) • Programmes of Zonal Meetings in the state for Rabi 2005-06 have been finalized. • Training calendar for intensive training of field functionaries has been prepared in consultation with the authorities of Indira Gandhi Agricultural University, Raipur. • Training of Master Trainers by MANAGE personnel under ATMA scheme have been conducted.

11. Progress in Seed Production & Distribution • Seed production and distribution in Chhattisgarh is gradually increasing: (Unit in Quintals)

12. Progress in balanced use of fertilizers • Balanced use of fertilizers is showing an improving trend: • (Kharif + Rabi) (Unit : 000 tonnes)

13. Progress of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) • IPM is being popularized in the state: Note : Demonstration & Training programme merged with FFS - Farmers Field Schools

14. Progress of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) • INM is being encouraged in the state: a. Biofertilizer distribution Unit - No. of packets b. Micronutrient fertilizer use Unit - in qtls.

15. Major constraints in improving productivity • More than 75% cultivated area is rainfed. • This results in low productivity of crops. * Data pertains to year 2003-04

16. Major constraints …... • Small and marginal farmers constitute more than 72% of the total farmers. • Cannot afford high value inputs. • Awareness level is also very low.

17. Steps taken to improve productivity: • Package of practices recommended by the State Agricultural University for a particular crop will be followed. • Under diversification programme, pulses and oilseeds with more emphasis on sunflower are being promoted in place of summer paddy which has high water requirement. • Timely pre-positioning of the important inputs like seed, fertilizer, pesticides and agricultural implements in sufficient quantity has been planned.

18. Steps taken (Contd…..) • Seed distribution target of 18,585 qtls. has been kept for Rabi 2005-06 which is about 34% higher than the last season's distribution. • Fertilizer distribution target for Rabi 2005-06 is 191970 tonnes which is 13% higher than last year. • Zero tillage technology of gram cultivation which saves energy, time and labour and helps to produce gram at a much lower cost will be promoted.

19. Steps taken (Contd…..) • Intercropping of Pulses with Sugarcane : • Short duration pulses with erect growth habit and close canopy are suitable for intercropping with sugarcane. • Urd and moong would be promoted in January, February as intercrop with sugarcane which would result in additional area under pulse cultivation. • Convergence of oilseed production programme with watershed development programme have been planned.

20. Steps taken (Contd…..) • Promotion of proper and balanced mix of NPK fertilizer, use of sulphur, use of bio-fertilizers, popularization of IPM technologies & promotion of sprinkler sets will help in increasing productivity. • Improvement in productivity of Rabi maize will be promoted through transfer of modern crop production technology, field IPM & seed minikits demonstration. • Advanced methods of irrigation as drip and sprinkler system will be encouraged.

21. Steps taken (Contd…..) • Farm mechanization • Farm power availability in Chhattisgarh is only 0.6 kw/ha against national average of 1.40 kw/ha. • Hence efforts have been made to increase mechanization as well as promoting awareness about farm mechanization.

22. Steps taken (Contd…..) • 900 diesel/electric pumpsets on 75% subsidy and 750 dugwells on 50% subsidy for small & marginal farmers under State scheme (Shakambhari). • 25000 Low Lift Pumps (hand operated) will be made available within four years on 75% subsidy to small & marginal farmers.

23. Steps taken (Contd…..) • Farm Plan approach • A 5-year Farm Plan approach in case of individual farmers (small, marginal & medium) for agriculture development has been initiated. • In the first phase, 3700 farmers of this category have been selected. • Each farmer's field will be supervised by a field functionary (RAEOs). • Cases of short/medium term loans have been sanctioned by the banks.

24. Steps taken (Contd…..) • Agriculture Credit flow • Timely availability of credit will be ensured. • Chhattisgarh is the first state in the country to provide short and medium term loan @ 9 % interest to the farmers through the cooperative sector. • Agriculture Credit Flow Year 2003-04 : Rs. 224.00 crore Year 2004-05 : Rs. 330.00 crore • Year 2005-06 : Rs. 410.00 crore (Target)

25. Progress on APMC Act Amendment • The APMC (Amendment) Act has been presented to the State Assembly and the same has been referred to a committee. • The amended Act is likely to be passed in the coming Assemblysession.

26. Readiness to implement National Horticulture Mission • Action Plan for 2005-06 has been approved by the National Executive Committee for NHM. • Chhattisgarh State Horticulture Development Society (SHDS) has been registered. • The District Level Societies have been established. • Area identification, crop selection and identification of farmers in clusters have been started.

27. National Horticulture Mission (Contd….) • Present area under horticultural crops is 1.25 lakh ha. This will be doubled as per Mission objectives. • Total no. of 16 clusters spread in 165 villages in 7 districts have been selected. • MoUs have been signed for assured marketing and buy-back support. • Bank Accounts of the beneficiaries have been opened.

28. Readiness to implement ATMA related existing programmes Five districts in the state have been selected for ATMA related activities :

29. ATMA related programmes (Contd…..) • District Nodal Officers' Orientation Workshop have been organized in June 2005. • Training of Master Trainers have been conducted by MANAGE personnel from 8-15th September 2005. • Constitution of ATMA Governing Board, BTT & FACS have been approved.

30. Status of Quarantine facilities in the state • Presently there is no quarantine facility in Chhattisgarh. • With the beginning of container services, import & export of food commodities, planting material, quarantine facilities will be set up in due course.

31. Suggestions for improving Rabi production • Quality seeds are the most crucial of agricultural inputs. Hybrid seeds which have 15 to 20% yield advantage have to be promoted. • GOI need to make subsidy provision for hybrid seeds which are very costly for the small & marginal farmers of the state. • A revised programme according to the guidelines of GOI is being finalized for successful implementation of the seed village programme.

32. Suggestions (Contd…..) • Suitable high yielding wheat cultivars need to be developed for mild & short winter in the state. • Fertilizer consumption in tribal districts of Chhattisgarh needs to be increased. • Funds required for free distribution of fertilizer minikits in tribal areas.

33. Suggestions (Contd…..) • Gross irrigated area in the state is only 23 %. • Field channels can prove very useful to increase the irrigation efficiency. • Central funds would be very crucial in this regard. A detailed proposal for development of field channels is being submitted for consideration.

34. Suggestions (Contd…..) • Presently there is no irrigation & line subsidy to individual farmers for tubewells. Central subsidy in this area will go a long way in irrigation development. • Central subsidy on farm implements needs to be increased from 25 % to 50 % in view of poor economic status of the farmers.

35. Suggestions (Contd…..) • Continuous training of farmers & departmental officials need to be ensured for creating awareness. • Funds required for completion of the State Level Training Academy, Raipur (Approximately Rs 60.00 lakh). • Central funds are also required for Kisan Melas & exhibitions for which proposal is being submitted.

36. Suggestions (Contd…..) • State has identified organic farming as a thrust area for the development of agriculture on sustainable basis. • It is urged that the Centre should lay down the parameters for organic fertilizer so that the quality factor is not compromised.

37. THANKS