Pawar asks states to prepare plans to avail ACA

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Hyderabad, July 31 (UNI) Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today asked state governments to prepare district and state agriculture plans, maintaining baseline share of agriculture and allied sectors in state's plans, to access grants from the new Rs 25,000 crore Additional Central Assistance (ACA) scheme.

''On its part, the Centre will bear a share beyond the baseline expenditure and provide ACA to states as grants,'' he said in his opening remarks at a review meeting held here to step public investment in agriculture and allied sectors to achieve food security.

Under the Rs 5000 crore National Food Security Mission(NFSM), the Centre aimed to increase rice production by ten million tonne, wheat production by eight million tonne and pulses by two million tonne in the Eleventh Plan Period, he said, adding that NFSM-Rice would be implemented in 11 districts of Andhra Pradesh and NFSM pulses in 14 districts in the state.

Lamenting that only 26 per cent of farmers had access to institutional credit, he said dormancy of large number of farm loan accounts, which was as high as 50 per cent in Andhra Pradesh, was a matter of serious concern.

Calling for strengthening of cooperative credit societies, which met mostly the credit needs of small and marginal farmers, the Union Agriculture Minister noted that the Andhra Pradesh government had entered into an MoU with the NABARD for revival of cooperatives based on the recommendations of the Vaidyanathan Committee.

He urged the Andhra Pradesh government to step up efforts to achieve the targets under irrigation, watershed activities, horticulture and subsidiary activities for making a dent on distressing condition of the farmers.

Though the state's achievement appeared better, much more remained to be done to realise the goals set under the Rs 9650.55 crore rehabilitation package in the 16 suicide-prone districts, he said.

He also asked the state to step up implementation of the National Horticultural Mission, noting that ''substantial unspent amount was there with the state under the scheme''.

UNI

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