Orissa sets target of 22 lakh mt crop in rabi season

Bhubaneswar, Jan 27 (PTI) Faced with extensive damageto the kharif crop due to unseasonal rain during theharvesting period in December, Orissa government todaytargeted production of about 22 lakh metric tonnes of cropduring the rabi cultivation.

Besides targeting production of 14.5 lakh metrictonnes of paddy, the state government also set a target ofproduction of 7.32 lakh metric tonnes of pulses and 621 metrictonnes of oil seeds during the rabi crop, said agricultureminister Damodar Rout.

In a bid to supply required volume of water forirrigation, the government also decided to dig at least 12,000borewell for use of ground water for agriculture purpose.

While the water resources department was given atarget of digging 8,000 borewells, agriculture departmentwould ensure that 4,000 such wells were put in place by June,Rout said.

Even as there was large damage to the paddy cropduring the kharif crop due to unseasonal rain, Rout claimedthat mazie production was more than satisfactory in parts ofOrissa.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chairedby Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

It was also decided that the state should develop itsown potential to produce pulse seeds instead of depending onother states.

"The seeds could be produced in PPP(public-private-partnership) mode," said a senior official.