Centre sets target of 4 pc increase in food production

Mysore, July 29 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Planning M V Rajasekharan today said the Centre has set a target of four per cent increase in food production during the next three years.

Speaking to newspersons here, he said this decision was taken recently by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after meeting all the Chief Ministers. The target was to produce ten million lakh tonnes of rice, eight million lakh tonnes of wheat and two million tonnes of pulses in the country during the next three years.

Mr Rajasekharan said nearly 133 districts in various states have been earmarked for rice production, another 168 districts for wheat production and 122 districts for pulse production.

He said the Union Government had sanctioned a special package of Rs 25,000 crore during the year for various states to increase their food production. Each state had to submit its report on increase in food production and the funds would be allocated based on their capacity, he added.

UNI