Union Agri Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Inaugurates Kharif Campaign 2023-24 & Krishi MApper App

The National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign 2023-24 was inaugurated by Union Agriculture Minister, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar on May 3, 2023, in New Delhi. In his address, Tomar emphasized that agriculture is the prime sector of the Indian economy and is crucial for socio-economic development, accounting for around 19% of the GDP and providing livelihood to two-thirds of the population.

He also highlighted the robust growth of the agriculture sector in India with an average annual growth rate of 4.6% over the last six years, contributing significantly to the country's growth, development, and food security.

According to the 2nd Advance Estimates (2022-23), the production of food grains in India is estimated to be 3235 lakh tonnes, with record production estimated for rice, maize, gram, pulses, rapeseed and mustard, oilseeds, and sugarcane. The total production of sugarcane in the country during 2022-23 is estimated at a record 4688 lakh tonnes, and a record 3423.3 lakh tonnes of horticultural production is estimated in 2021-22, according to the 3rd Advance Estimates of Horticulture.

The objective of the conference was to review and assess the crop performance of preceding seasons, set crop-wise targets for the Kharif season in consultation with state governments, ensure the supply of critical inputs, and facilitate the adoption of innovative technologies to enhance the production and productivity of crops. The government's priority is agro-ecological based crop planning, which involves diverting land from excess commodities like rice and wheat to deficit commodities like oilseeds and pulses and high-value export-earning crops.

The special Mustard program was initiated during Rabi 2020-21 that has brought the most spectacular results. Mustard production has jumped by 40% from 91.24 to 128.18 lakh tonnes in the last 3 years.  The productivity saw an 11% increase from 1331 to 1447 kg/ha. The area under rapeseed & mustard enhanced by 29% from 68.56 lakh ha in 2019-20 to 88.58 lakh ha in 2022-23.  Timely action by central and state governments made this remarkable achievement possible.

The Minister shared that India organized The Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference at the IARI campus, PUSA, New Delhi on the 18th of March 2023 as part of a major celebration of the International Year of Millets. Dedicating to the International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023, the Hon’ble Prime Minister unveiled a commemorative coin and stamp celebrating IYM followed by the digital launch of a book of millets (Shree Anna) standards.

The Prime Minister declared ICAR-IIMR as a Global Centre of Excellence which was followed by a screening of a short film on Shree Anna & IYM 2023. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is ensuring that IYM is celebrated in a structured way throughout the year by organizing regular meetings (In person/ video conferencing) with all the stakeholders. Expert Institutes such as ICAR-IIMR, APEDA, ICRISAT, and others are also involved to encourage R&D, productivity, and value addition.

The Conference set the national targets for the production of foodgrains and other commodities. National targets for total food grains production are set at 3320 lakh tonnes for the year 2023-24.  The target for production of pulses has been fixed at 292.5 lakh tonnes compared to 278.1 lakh tonnes this year and oilseeds production will be increased from 400 to 440 lakh tonnes in 2023-24. 

Total Shree Anna production has to be increased from 159.1 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 to 170.0 lakh tonnes in 2023-24. The strategy would be to increase area through inter-cropping and crop diversification and productivity enhancement through the introduction of HYVs and the adoption of suitable agronomic practices in low-yielding regions.

source-PIB

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