186 lakh tonne rice to be produced this year
Hyderabad, Mar 25: Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy told the Assembly today (Mar 26, 2006) that rice production this year was expected to be around 186 lakh tonne.
Replying to D Narendra Kumar, Kottapalli Subbarayadu and Yanamala Rama Krishnudu of the TDP during question hour, he said 109 lakh tonne was already produced during the Kharif season and the rest was expected during the ongoing Rabi. Production during Kharif was seven lakh tonne more than that during 2001-02.
He said higher production was possible due to higher productivity. Productivity had gone down in the East and West Godavari districts, the two main rice producing districts, initially, due to a month-long dry spell and then untimely rain.
Production in Telangana was good.
Referring to the opposition charge that productivity had gone down due to the government's neglect of agriculture, Mr Reddy said apart from rice, which had gone down by three per cent and groundnut, 25 per cent, productivity of all other grains and pulses had gone up.
UNI