BHUBANESWAR: The Ministry of Agriculture has sanctioned Rs 217 crore to the State under the second green revolution programme to bridge the yield gap in the production of paddy compared to the national average.Being the major crop of the State, productivity of rice is still less than in other states. The average productivity of rice in the State is about 1,900 kg per hectare as against the national average of 3,000 kg. While the average kharif production is 1,700 kg per hectare, the rabi production is less than 2,500 kg per hectare.A host of factors is responsible for the low productivity of rice. While majority of the cropping area is mid-land and high land, assured irrigation is still not possible for 20 per cent of the total cultivable area. Use of chemical fertilisers is much below the national average. The fertiliser consumption of the State is about 64 kg per hectare.The second Green revolution envisages adoption of new seed varieties, farm machines, nutrients, pesticides and knowledge-based intervention as developed for different agro-climatic zones. Essentially, the objective is to increase the crop productivity by intensive cultivation through promotion of recommended agriculture technologies and package of practices.The State Government has planned to take up demonstration of paddy cultivation under the Centrally assisted programme in 1.55 lakh hectares of land. The demonstration programme will be conducted in 155 clusters, each cluster having four patches, said Director, Agriculture and Food Production, Santh Gopalan.Strategic plan prioritising the key areas in terms of technology promotion for addressing the main constraints that were impeding the agriculture productivity despite there being a good potential for development. This strategic plan includes soil management, line sowing and transplantation, green manuring and scientific application of pesticides and weedicides, he said.While the Centre is giving emphasis on farm mechanisation and shifting from traditional methods to modern farming, the response from the farmers is very poor. This is despite the fact that the Government is providing huge subsidy on mechanised farm implements.The Government has further planned to provide 20,000 quintals of hybrid varieties and 80,000 quintals of high yielding varieties of paddy seeds to the farmers under the programme which is part of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikash Yojana.A three-members team of senior officers of the Ministry of Agriculture reviewed the plan and programme of the State Government under the second green revolution for 2012-13 at a meeting here recently.The agriculture director made a presentation on the State’s plan for the programme during the current kharif.
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