Agri production grew during NDA rule says union minister

Production and productivity in agricultural sector have increased during the four years of NDA rule at the Centre, compared to the UPA regime, Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh said. The NDA government has also given push to policy reforms in the sector, the Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister said.

"In the four years of the (Narendra) Modi government, the average foodgrain production has increased to 280 million tonnes in 2017-18 from the average foodgrain production of 255 million tonnes during 2010-2014" when the Congress led UPA was in power, he said here.

Singh, a BJP leader from Bihar, was talking to reporters on various schemes, projects and achievements of his ministry in the four years of the NDA government.

He said the central government has come out with farmers' welfare schemes, which lay emphasis on increasing their income, instead of focusing only on production.

"That's why government is stressing on production of horticulture, fisheries, dairy etc," Singh said.

The average horticulture production was 265 million tonnes during 2010-2014, which increased to 307 million tonnes in 2017-18, the minister said, adding that fisheries production witnessed 26 per cent increase during the same period, while dairy production witnessed 23.69 per cent rise during 2014-2018 when compared to the figures of 2010-2014.

Stating that the NDA government has made huge allocation to the agriculture sector in the five union budgets presented so far, Singh said the allocation has been Rs 2.11 lakh crore in the NDA government as against Rs 1.21 lakh crore during the UPA regime.

Talking about some of his ministry's work for the development of Bihar, he said the central government set up Mahatma Gandhi Central University at Motihari in which a faculty of agriculture will be established.

The Rajendra Agricultural University was upgraded to a central university, the minister said, adding that Dr Rajendra Prasad's birthday, on December 3, will be celebrated as "Rashtriya Krishi Shiksha Diwas".

National Banana Research Centre has been set up at Goraul in Vaishali district, while a honey bee farming development centre will also be set up in the state, he said, adding that the Mahatma Gandhi National Integrated Research Centre has also been set up at Motihari.

To a query on special category status for Bihar, Singh said, "The 14th Finance Commission has increased states' share in central taxes. The 15th Finance Commission is visiting various places and meeting people".

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads the BJP-JD(U) government in Bihar, had recently made a fresh pitch for grant of special category status to the state and indicated that the demand would be put before the 15th Finance Commission.