The target for total foodgrains production in kharif 1999 is fixed at 107.60 million tonne and that in rabi 1999-2000 at 102.40 million tonne.

Inaugurating the National Conference on Agriculture for 1999-2000 Rabi Campaign in the Capital on Monday, agriculture secretary Bhaskar Barua said that we could not say that the current kharif season has been a very good one. The two-day conference will take stock of the area sown, crop conditions and other matters vis-a-vis the current kharif season. The final estimates of crop production in 1998-99 will be declared at the end of the conference along withthe first provisional estimates of crop production in the current kharif season.

He cautioned those states where the current kharif outlook is not so bright to formulate plans and programmes to improve crop prospects in the ensuing rabi season which begins from October 1.

Doubling food production has been the recurring theme in all the kharif and rabi conferences. It is essential that there is a seasonal review of this most important programme, he said.

ICAR D-G predicts 203 mt production

Even as the national conference on agriculture is slated to finalise the estimates of the total foodgrains production in 1998-99, the director-general of Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), RS Paroda said that the foodgrains output in the year in question would be around 203 million tonne.

Agriculture secretary, Bhaskar Barua also said the total foodgrains output in 1998-99 will be over 202 million tonne.

Earlier the agriculture ministry in their last provisional estimate had stated that thetotal foodgrains output in 1998-99 wil be 200.88 million tonne.