Badal writes to Pawar for including Punjab under NFSM-Rice

Chandigarh, May 16 (UNI) The Punjab government has urged the Centre to include the entire state in the National Food Security Mission (NFSM)-Rice to ensure better contribution to the Central Food Pool on one hand and the long-term National Food Security on the other.

In a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal stated that none of the districts of the state had been included in the programme for implementation in Kharif-2008.

Mr Badal pointed out that the NFSM-wheat was being implemented in 10 districts of the state for increasing the productivity and production of wheat crop.

''The state has implemented this programme in right earnest manner which has shown tangible results in NFSM districts and the same interventions have been made in other districts of the state as well, though from its own resources,'' he said.

Though there was contribution to the central pool from every nook and cranny of the state, yet a gap still existed in the potential yield ie productivity achieved in the large scale scientific research trials and the yield at farmer's field, stated Mr Badal.

Mr Badal also referred to the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) that had already been introduced in some districts of the state and the results were also very encouraging in terms of saving 30 to 35 per cent of irrigation water and higher yield potential than the traditional method of planting paddy.

In case of paddy as well, there was an untapped potential and the state would strive to bridge this gap under NFSM-rice, he added.

UNI PS GT HT1700