Gandhinagar, April 24: If the Union Agriculture Ministry is heaving a sigh of relief at increased food grain production this procurement season, states like Gujarat has also significantly chipped in by pushing up their own agricultural production. Gujarat has shown a 33 per cent increase in wheat production at 37 lakh metric tonne (MT) this season over last year’s figure of 27.9 lakh MT.

Agriculture officials attribute the success to many factors that worked in tandem to produce the results. “It has been a prudent mix of policies that saw availability of improved irrigation facilities and right scientific knowledge that helped reduce costs, thus attracting farmers,” says former Director of Agriculture R. A. Serasia, who spearheaded much of the campaign through the last three years.

The jump in production comes on the back of a sustained campaign by the state government to increase overall acreage under the crop over the past few years. Net sown area for wheat that languished at an average of 6.64 lakh hectares till 2005 stood at 13.93 lakh hectares in December 2007, marking a more than doubling in the three year period. It is also up 30 per cent from the 2006-07 Rabi figure of 10.72 lakh hectares. Officials say if agro-climatic conditions remain stable, there is still scope to add another four lakh hectares over the next few years in the state to wheat.

While a much publicised extension programme launched five years ago by the name of Krishi Rath, had farmers becoming aware of right fertiliser quantities to optimise yield, another state irrigation department initiative through farm ponds and water harvesting structures increased irrigated area crucial for the wheat crop. A final push came last year in the form of centrally funded National Food Security Mission. It saw farmers in four top wheat districts of Gujarat—Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, and Banaskantha—get free extension services for wheat sowing.

Gujarat Agriculture Minister Dilip Sanghani is understandably elated. Back from a meeting of state ministers with Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Sanghani said that Pawar was pleased with the state’s performance, and specifically asked his team to make a presentation on Krishi Rath.

Against an average rabi sowing of 18-20 lakh hectares some years ago, the figure stood doubled at 39 lakh hectares last season for all food and non-food crops, and the state has set a target to cross 50 lakh hectares on the back of Narmada waters. Sanghani says, “We are set to improve all statistics as Narmada waters start flowing over next few years to a greater area in Saurashtra.”