Chhattisgarh Govt removes target of paddy production from Rabi season

     Raipur, November 12, 2022: In a controversial decision, the Congress government in Chhattisgarh has decided against summer paddy and removed cultivation of paddy from its Rabi season’s target.

     “This Rabi season the sowing target of the state government for paddy is absolute zero,” official sources said today.

     Last year Rabi season paddy cultivation was carried out in 2,22,170 hectares area of the state.

     The decision to make the target this year for paddy to zero was to discourage the farmers from taking summer paddy and to encourage them to shift to other cash crop, they said.

     The state government wanted the farmers to shift to oil seeds and pulses, wheat, sugar cane and other crops instead of paddy, they said.

     The state Agriculture Department data also revealed increase in cultivation of wheat in the state.

     The state government also encouraging farmers to take oil seeds and pulses during Rabi instead of paddy as that would require less irrigation water and help increase the financial condition of the farmers in a long run.

     Cultivation for the Rabi season has already been started and the state government targets for cultivation of crops other than paddy this Rabi season in 19.25 lakh hectares area.

      During this Khariff season the state government procured from state farmers about one lakh crore tons of paddy in the minimum support price and looking into the secured market for the paddy more and more farmers are attracted towards rice cultivation in the state.