Asking people to focus on water instead, Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar stated that proper management and ample source of water increases agriculture production. “The country has a surplus stock of foodgrains. We need 13 crore metric tonnes (MT) foodgrains and we have produced 25.4 crore MT wheat and rice,” he said while speaking during a programme in the Yeola tehsil of the Nashik district on Saturday.
Mr Pawar further stated that the country exported 1 crore MT rice to other countries and India has become the number one nation in rice production. “We exported 50 lakh MT wheat and are world number two in wheat production,” he added.
Mr Pawar said that he was proud that the nation received `1.87 lakh crore in foreign exchange through the water wealth of farmers and that they (farmers) had shown that they could help the country out of difficulties. He added that it has become difficult for the government to acquire farmland for lakes and other projects. “Farmers should remove accumulated sediment from their wells, lakes and other water resources every three years, which will help double irrigation, increase the storage capacity, and also recharge the ground water table,” he said.
The Union minister said that the Central government would give 50 per cent subsidy for drip irrigation of horticulture.