New Delhi: Former President A P J Abdul Kalam today hoped that the country’s overall foodgrains production would be better this year despite rainfall deficit.
Deficit rains have affected kharif (summer) crops in the 2014-14 crop year, forcing the government to keep kharif foodgrains output estimate slightly lower at 120.27 million tonnes. It is aiming to cover the likely gap in production in the ongoing rabi (winter) season.
I hope this year we will have good crop. Last year, farmers had harvested over 260 million tonnes of foodgrains,” Kalam said addressing a symposium organised by the Dabur group’s subsidiary Ayurvet Ltd.
Farmers have been producing an average 200 million tonnes of foodgrains for last few years. However, there is a need to increase per capita income of farmers by encouraging farm production with value addition, he said.(PTI)