Target to cover 60% area in wheat with climate adapted varieties

In a meeting chaired by Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi on 24 November 2023, a target was set to cover about 60% area in wheat with climate adapted varieties this year.

• The purpose of this meeting held under the chairmanship of Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar was to review various crops.

Efforts to bring stability in production:

• Climate adapted varieties will make it easier to stabilize production. Agriculture Minister Tomar suggested forming a monitoring committee to achieve this goal.

Why is it needed?

• India's agricultural system still largely depends on natural rainfall; And it does not remain the same in every season. Sometimes it is more and sometimes less, in such a situation, stability in production can be brought by covering climate adapted varieties.
• Regarding the performance and estimated yield of Kharif crops, it was said that the growth of crops was affected due to late arrival of monsoon and less rainfall in the month of August, but due to monsoon rains in September being normal in most of the states, Kharif production was not much affected. 
• An average of 648.33 lakh hectares is cultivated in Rabi. As of now, cultivation has covered approximately 248.59 lakh hectares.
• Especially in wheat, the target is to cover about 60% of the area with varieties this year.
• By sowing such varieties, it will be easier for the farmers to bring stability in wheat production.
• The department is likely to take action soon on the suggestion made by Agriculture Minister Tomar to form a monitoring committee to achieve this goal.

Crop Pattern in India:

• Still, about two-thirds of the country's population is engaged in agricultural activities. A foundational endeavor, generating food grains and industrial raw materials.
• India is a climatically diverse country hence there are various food and non-food crops which are cultivated in three main crop seasons Rabi, Kharif and Zaid. 
• Major crops in India can be classified as follows:
  • Food crops: Rice, wheat, millet, maize and pulses.
  • Cash crops: Tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, oilseeds, horticultural crops, cotton and jute.
• In India, Crops can be classified into three categories on the basis of crop season:
• Rabi:
  • They are sown in October-December and harvested in April-June.
  • Under this, mainly wheat, barley, peas, gram, mustard etc. are cultivated.
  • The main states under Rabi crop in the country are Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
• Kharif:
  • They are sown in June-July while harvesting is done in September-October.
  • Under this, mainly rice, maize, jowar, millet, pigeon pea, moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut, soybean etc. are cultivated.
  • The main states covered under the Kharif crop in the country are Assam, West Bengal, coastal areas of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra.
• Zaid (time between Rabi and Kharif):
  • They are sown in March while harvesting is done in July.
  • Under this, mainly seasonal fruits, vegetables, fodder crops etc. are cultivated.
  • The main states covered under the Zaid crop in the country are most of the northern and north-western states.