1. National Conference on Agriculture for Rabi Campaign – 2013
On 24th & 25th September, 2013 at PUSA Complex, New Delhi
Govt. of West Bengal
Department of Agriculture

2. WEST BENGAL : AN OVERVIEW PART-I
Geographical Area
88752 sq. Km.
Nos. of Agricultural Districts 18
Nos. of Agricultural Blocks
335
Nos. of Gram Panchayets
3354
Nos. of Mouza / Village
40782
Population (2011 Census)
9,15,94,000
Population Density(2011 Census)
1029 / Sq. Km.
Agro-Climatic Zones
6 Nos.
Gross Cropped Area( ) ha
Cultivable Area ( ) ha
Net Area Sown( ) ha
Irrigated Area
62% of Net Cropped Area
Total Nos. of Agricultural holdings
Nos
Size of average Land Holding
0.77 ha / Holding 2

3. WEST BENGAL : AN OVERVIEW PART-II
Cropping Intensity ( )
179.93
Total Food Grains Production ( )
Lakh MT
Estimated Total Food Grains Production ( , 4th Advance Estimate)
Lakh MT
Target of Total Food Grains Production ( )
Lakh MT
Summer Rice Productivity ( )
3174 Kg / ha
Estimated Summer Rice Productivity ( )
3372 Kg / ha
Target of Summer Rice Productivity ( )
3425 Kg / ha

4. West Bengal : Placing Issues in Perspective
Has 8% of India’s population with 2.7% of the total area,
Population Density (1029 per Sq. Km) puts tremendous pressure on land & Natural Resources,
Marginal and small farmers constitute nearly 96% of the lakh holdings, ( census) 4

5. West Bengal Agriculture : Significant milestones
1st position in Rice production
First position in Vegetables Production,
Second position in Potato Production,
Third in Flowers and seventh in Fruits Production,
Cropping intensity of % ( ) 5

6. Estimated Requirement of Crops in West Bengal During 12th Plan Period – Part-A
In Lakh MT
Year
Population
(Lakh)
Rice
Cereals
Pulses
Food Grains
915.94
144.89
166.95
12.87
179.82
923.89
146.15
168.41
12.98
181.39
931.98
147.43
169.88
13.10
182.98
940.35
148.75
171.70
13.21
184.61

7. Estimated Requirement of Crops in West Bengal During 12th Plan Period - Part-B
In Lakh MT
Year
Population
(Lakh)
Oil
Seeds
Potato
915.94
16.55
50.98
923.89
16.69
51.43
931.98
16.84
51.88
940.35
16.99
52.34

8. Rainfall Analysis (m.m.) for the year 2011 - 2013
Region
June
July
August
September
(Upto 15th)
Normal
Actual
(% Dep.)
2011
2012
2013
Sub- Himalayan West Bengal
454
425
(-6)
552
(22)
405
(-11)
635
610
(-4)
641
(1)
531
(-16)
458
(-1)
279
(-39)
421
(-8)
221 74
(-67)
211
(-5)
229
(4)
Gangetic West Bengal
256
374
(46)
139
(-46)
(-10)
318
(-28)
303
239
(-25)
311
427
(37)
225
377
(21)
135
127
173
(28)
100
(-27)
West Bengal
322
391
277
(-14)
288
356
416
(-2)
336
(-21)
360
436
243
(-33)
392
(9)
164
109
(-34)
186
(13)
143
(-13)

9. A=Area in ’000 ha, P= Production in ’000mt, Y= Yield in Kg/ha
KHARIF ASSESSMENT – 2013
A=Area in ’000 ha, P= Production in ’000mt, Y= Yield in Kg/ha
Crops
(4th Estimate)
1st Estimate A P Y
Kharif Rice
2581
2612
Kharif Maize
40.588
96.769
2384
45.00
117.00
2600
Kharif Pulses
54.096
36.865
681
63.850
49.925
782
Jute
(‘000 bales)
14.27
(bales)
550.00
14.75
Mesta
6.696
82.671
12.35
7.00
87.50
12.50
Sugarcane
16.077
1685
104808
20.00
21000
105000

10. A=Area in ’000 ha, P= Production in ’000mt, Y= Yield in Kg/ha
RABI PLANNING
A=Area in ’000 ha, P= Production in ’000mt, Y= Yield in Kg/ha
Crops
4th Advanced Estimates
RABI
RABI PLANNING
(TARGET)’ A P Y
Summer Rice
1210
4080
3372
1500
5137.5
3425
Wheat
322
960
2817
350
1004.5
2870
Rabi Maize 65
320
4923 80
400.00
5000
Rabi Pulses
168.42
1018
200
210.00
1050
Food Grains
3100
2134
3170
Oilseeds
821.06
1145
750
870.00
1160
Potato
30000
400
18200
32000

11. Progress on Kissan Credit Card and Credit Flow
Year
Item
Target
Achievement
KCC (Nos.)
10,00,000
Credit Flow (Rs. In crore)
17, (72.3%)
12,00,000
1,80,000(1st Qrt)
7120 (20%) (1st qtr)
Source: Lead Bank - UBI

12. NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY MISSION

13. Area of Operation…. NFSM – Rice NFSM – Wheat NFSM-Pulse Jalpaiguri
All the 17 Districts
2. Coochbehar
3. Uttar Dinajpur
4. South 24 Pgrs.
4. Dakshin Dinajpur
5. Purulia
6. Howrah
7. Purba Medinipur
8. Paschim Medinipur 13

14. Fund Statement under NFSM during 2012-13
( Rs in Lakh)
Component
Approved Outlay
Unspent Balance of
As per AUC
Accrued Interest up to
Fund Released by GOI during
Total Fund Available during
Expenditure during
Unspent Balance of as on
NFSM – Rice
336.60
280.85
855.94
NFSM – Wheat
831.84
89.12 --
604.57
693.69
684.78
8.91
NFSM – Pulse
897.49
92.63
757.05
849.68
653.74
195.94
A 3 P
540.00
127.28
277.72
405.00
306.49
98.51
Publicity
20.58 -
TOTAL
666.21

15. Fund Statement under NFSM during 2013-14
( Rs in Lakh)
Component
Approved Outlay by GOI
Additional Action Plan for Unspent Balance as on approved by GOI
Revised Action Plan approved by GOI during
(2+3)
Total Fund Released by GOI till date (1st & 2nd Installment)
Expenditure during
up to July, 2013
Remarks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
NFSM – Rice
715.96
94 DC during Kharif out of 149 DCs
NFSM – Wheat
721.57
187.34
908.91
672.78 -
Yet to be started
NFSM – Pulse
167.00
2.566
To be conducted during Rabi Summer
A 3 P
898.60
35.89
-Do-
TOTAL

16. District wise No. of Hybrid Rice Cluster DC during 2013-14 under NFSM-Rice
Sl. No.
District
No. of 100 ha
Seed Requirement (MT) 1
Coochbehar 6
9.0 2
Jalpaiguri 10
15.0 3
Uttar Dinajpur 5
7.5 4
Purulia
Paschim Medinipur
Purba Medinipur
6.0 7
Howrah
3.0 8
South 24 Parganas
Total 55
79.5

17. WHEAT Seed Requirement (including Additional DCs) in MT
District wise No. of HYV Cluster DC during under NFSM-Wheat
Sl. No.
District
No. of Cluster ha
WHEAT Seed Requirement (including Additional DCs) in MT
Variety 1
Coochbehar 2
20.0
PBW-343
Jalpaiguri 5
50.0 3
Uttar Dinajpur 4
40.0
Dakshin Dinajpur
10.0
Total 12
120.0

18. Total Seed Requirement in MT
District wise No. of HYV Cluster DC during under NFSM-Pulse
Sl.
District
No. of 100 ha
Total Seed Requirement in MT 1
Coochbehar
3.0 2
Jalpaiguri
2.5
7.5 3
Uttar Dinajpur 4
Dakshin Dinajpur 5
Maldah 8
24.0 6
Murshidabad 16
48.0 7
Nadia 13
39.0
Birbhum
18.0 9
Purulia
4.5
13.5 10
Paschim Medinipur 11
Purba Midnapur 12
Bankura
9.0
Bardhaman
6.5
19.5 14
North-24 Parganas 15
South-24 Parganas
6.0
Howrah
15.0 17
Hooghly
TOTAL
80.00
237

19. District wise & Crop wise Allotment of A3P units (@ 100 ha each)
under NFSM – Pulse for Implementation in West Bengal during
Sl. No.
Crop
District wise No. of Units 100 Ha each) of A3P
Maldah
Murshidabad
Nadia
Birbhum
Purulia
Total 1.
Black gram 5 - 17 6 28 2.
Lentil 3 60 42 10 2
117 3.
Gram 20 32
TOTAL 8 80 59
177

20. Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI)

21. Financial Outlay (Rs. in lakh)
SLSC APPROVED ACTION PLAN FOR
Sl. No.
Intervention
Financial Outlay (Rs. in lakh) 1
Block Demonstration 2
Asset Building Activities 3
Site Specific Activities 4
Marketing Support
TOTAL

22. I) Progress of Block Demonstration during 2013-14
Sl. No.
Agro-eco
situation
Targets as approved by SLSC
Achievement
Physical (ha.)
Financial (Rs. in lakh)
Financial
(Rs. in lakh)
PADDY
I. Kharif 1
Up-land
30300 - 2
Shallow Lowland
87400
86200 3
Medium Deep Water
9700
II. Boro 4
Irrigated HYV
50200 5
Hybrid Rice
3500
Total Paddy
181100
126200 B
WHEAT
18000
Total (Rice + Wheat)
199100

23. B. Asset Building Activity
SL. NO.
INTERVENTIONS
PHYSICAL (NO.)
RATE OF ASSISTANCE (Rs.)
APPROVED FINANCIAL OUTLAY (Rs.in lakh) 1
PUMP SETS
14121
10000
C. Site Specific Activity:
Sl. No.
Intervention
Approved Financial Outlay (Rs. in lakh) 1
Construction of irrigation channel 2
Electrification of Pump Rs. 8000/- 3
Monitoring & Documentation
TOTAL
D. MARKETING SUPPORT:
SL. NO.
INTERVENTIONS
PHYSICAL (NO.)
UNIT COST (Rs.in lakh)
APPROVED FINANCIAL OUTLAY (Rs.in lakh) 1
KRISHAK BAZAR 2
550 (approx)

24. Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) 2013-14
Department of Agriculture
Government of West Bengal

25. Outlay and Expenditure on Agriculture and Allied Sectors compared to total Annual Plan size.
State: West Bengal
Rs. In Crore
Annual Plan Year
Total State Plan Expenditure (A.E./R.E./B.E.)
Outlay/
Expdt. for Agric. & Allied sector
(Excluding RKVY)
GOI release of RKVY fund
Expenditure of Agriculture & Allied Sectors as % of Total Plan Outlay
(A.E.)
357.81
54.93
3.94
(A.E.)
503.20
147.38
4.84
(A.E.)
597.36
4.93
(A.E.)
674.95
335.98
5.73
(A.E.)
867.62
486.65
4.13
(R.E.)
374.58*
4.94
(R.E.) ** NA
5.21
N.B.- * GOI Allocation was Rs Crore but released Rs Crore including Sub-schemes.
** State Nodal Department has mooted a proposal to Finance Deptt. for enhancement of outlay under Agri & Allied sector to the tune of Rs crore in lieu of Rs crore.

26. Allocation, release and U/C of RKVY fund during XI Plan Period and 2012-13
State – West Bengal
(Rs. in crore)
Year
Allocation
Release by GOI
Release by Deptt.
UC submitted
54.93
147.38
476.15
335.98
486.65
Total
(11th Plan)
464.81
374.58
317.01
*Figure shown under RKVY includes RKVY (Normal) & Sub-schemes
(viz. BGREI,NMPS, NVIUC & INSIMP)

27. Name of the Project/sub-schemes
GOI Allocation & Release under RKVY & Sub-schemes during For WEST BENGAL
Sl. No.
Name of the Project/sub-schemes
Allocation
(Rs. In crore)
Released 1
RKVY (Normal)
334.10
153.08 2
RKVY Sub-scheme a
BGREI
151.27
75.64 b
NVIUC (Vegetable cluster)
4.35
2.18 c
INSIMP (Nutri-cereal)
0.02
0.01 d
NMPS
14.40
7.20
Total
504.14
238.11

28. SYNOPSIS OF RKVY SCHEMES/ PROJECTS (AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT)
Sl. No.
Name of the projects/ schemes (Stream-I)
SLSC Approved Outlay
(Rs. In Lakh) 1
Production of quality seeds 2
Infrastructure development of State Agril. Farms/ Research Stations/ SAU Farms for agricultural development in West Bengal.
210.80 3
Initiatives for Crop Development in West Bengal
567.40 4
Support to Plant Protection & Integrated Pest Management
21.30 5
Support to Soil Health & Integrated Nutrient Management
432.50 6
Farm Mechanization
Total
N.B.- 1st Instalment of fund for RKVY Stream – I projects has been released by GoI, the Nodal Deptt. is expected to release the fund soon.

29. SYNOPSIS OF RKVY SCHEMES/PROJECTS (AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT)
Sl. No.
Name of the project/schemes (Stream – II)
SLSC Approved outlay
(Rs. in Lakh) 1
Infrastructure Development of Agril. Training Centres & Research Institutes.
271.61 2
Agri- Research Projects for providing support to growth & development of agriculture and allied sectors in the State.
224.98 3
Support to Extension functionaries for facilitating Agricultural Extension & mass campaign in the state of West Bengal
480.57 4
Strengthening of Govt. Agricultural Farms for Seed Production 5
Integrated Farming system approach-Demonstration cum training center for agriculture and allied sectors.
50.00 6
Comprehensive Development of Kumari Kanan Integrated Farm in Purulia District 7
Special programme for Agricultural Development of Darjeeling district under GTA.
242.50
Total
N.B.- 1st Instalment of fund for RKVY Stream – II projects has been released to the implementing agencies.

30. INTEGRATED SCHEME OF OILSEEDS, PULSES, OILPALM AND MAIZE (ISOPOM) 2013-14

35. Progress of distribution of Soil Health Cards:
PROGRESS REPORT ON SOIL TESTING LABORATORIES (STLs) FOR THE YEAR ( ) UPTO JULY 2013
Soil Testing Laboratories under:
No. of Laboratories
Annual Analyzing Capacity
No. of samples Analyzed for nutrients
Capacity utilized (%)
No. of Distt. having STL
No. of Distt. not having STL
No. of STL having AAS
Static
Mobile
Total
1. State Govt. 10 8 18
104000
13533
13.7 9 7
2. Public undertaking Sector
Nil
3. Private Sector
13.01
Progress of distribution of Soil Health Cards:
Period
No. of cards made available to farmers
Kharif 2013 up to July 2013
13533
Rabi (Target)
104000

36. Proforma-9
Progress Report on Fertilizer Quality Control Laboratories for the year
(up to July 2013)
Fertilizer Quality Control Laboratory under:
No. of Laboratories
Annual Analyzing Capacity
No. of samples Analyzed
Capacity utilized (%)
No. of FQCL having AAS
1. State Govt. 3
4500
949
21.0
2. Public Undertaking Sector
Nil
3. Private Sector
Total

37. Hybrid Maize Seed Production: HQPM 1, HQPM 5,

38. SEED REPLACEMENT RATE (SRR) OF DIFFERENT CROPS DURING AND TARGET DURING IN WEST BENGAL.
Sl. No.
Name of Crop
2011 –
2012 (%)
2012 –
2013(%)
2013 –
2014
(Target) 1.
Paddy
33.6
34.0
35.0 2.
Wheat
43.4
45.7
47.0 3.
Maize
29.0
30.0
33.0 4.
Gram
26.9
27.92 5.
Kalai(Urd)
35.6
36.47
37.0 6.
Moong
33.39 7.
Khesari
21.1
22.0
50.22 8.
Lentil
29.6
29.8
32.99 9.
Pigeon Pea
45.0
46.0
46.50
10.
Ground-nut
40.4
41.0
44.47
11.
Mustard
41.5
46.19
50.0
12.
Sesame
34.9
36.91
37.5
14.
Potato
26.7
27.17
33.04

39. Production / Availability
Requirement and Availability of C/Q Seed for Rabi & Target
Sl. No.
CROP
Target
Requirement
(Q)
Production /
Availability
Deficit/Surplus(Q)
Requirement(Q)
Production / Availability 1.
Paddy
560000
563000 - 2.
Hybrid Paddy
2200
160
(-)2040
2300
210
(-)2090 3.
Maize
6000 4.
Pulses
25735
25740
(+)5
25800 5.
Ground-nut
17010
19350 6.
Wheat
169200
160000
(-)9200
177600 7.
Potato
(-)396000
(-)680000 8.
Mustard
11220
16523
(+)5303
13310
16850
(+)3540
* After inclusion of the Pulse D/Cs under NFSM into Certification, the availability during will increase as per area covered.
(Quantity In Qtls)

40. Seed Certification

41. Seed Testing Status for 2012-13 & Target for 2013-14
Sl. Number
Type of Seed
Seed samples analyzed in
Target for 1.
Service
576
1000 2.
Certified
19695
20000 3.
Official
2816
3000 4.
Total
23087
24000

42. STATEMENT SHOWING THE STATISTICS OF THE ANALYSIS OF
PESTICIDE SAMPLES FOR QUALITY CONTROL IN
Quality Control & Insecticide Control Laboratory
Sl.
No.
Name of
the
States
/UTs
(Upto March 2013)
(upto Aug-2014)
Sample
analyzed
Mis
branded (%) 1
West
Bengal
512
5 (0.98)
417 3
(0.72)
718
11(1.53)
242
1(0.41)

43. Machinery Distributed so far
PROGRESS OF FARM MECHANISATION SCHEMES DURING
Scheme
Target for
(Rs. in Crore)
Up to date Achievement of
Nos. of Farm
Machinery Distributed so far
Rate of Subsidy
(Rs.)
RKVY
19.071
14.70
Tractor-132
Power tiller-1517
Power reaper-97
Zerotillege-2
Pumpset-6625
Tractor :45,000/-
Power Tiller :45,000/-
Power Reaper :40,000/-
Zero Tillage Machine :15,000/-
Pump set :10,000/-
BGREI
53.15
37.59
Tractor-249
Power tiller-2820
Power reaper-190
Zerotillege-06
Pumpset-21715
Name of Scheme :Financial Support scheme for Farm Mechanisation (FSSM)”

44. PROGRESS OF FARM MECHANISATION SCHEMES DURING 2012-13
Scheme TARGET Uptodate No. of
Achievement Machinery Distributed
NFSM Rs Rs Tractor-11 No.
Crore Crore Power Tiller - 179
Pump set
Power Reaper - 23

45. Target for 2013-14 Target for FSSM 2013-14: Rs. 84.77725 Crores
Target for Small Farm Implements: Rs. 20 Crores

46. Budget for Farm Mechanization for 2013-14 under Sub-Mission on
Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) in West Bengal
Sl No
Scheme/Component
Target for
(Rs. in Lakh) 1
Establishment of Farm Machinery Bank for Custom Hiring. 2
Promotion & Strengthening of Agricultural Mechanization through
Training, Testing and Demonstration.
a) Demonstration Component
693.60
b) Outsourcing of Training
82.875 3
Subsidy for selected Agril. Machinery and Equipment 4
Input Subsidy to small & marginal farmers for adopting suitable Farm Mechanisation 5
Enhancing farm productivity at village level by introducing appropriate Farm Mechanization in selected villages
600.00 6
Post Harvest Technology & Management
69.65
TOTAL

47. Requirement And Availability Of Fertilizers During Rabi,2013 -14
IN MT
Sl. No.
Fertilizers
Potential Requirement
Assessed Requirement [Finalized In ‘Zonal Conference Rabi ] 1.
UREA
8,90,180
8,90,000 2.
DAP
2,84,363
2,50,000 3.
MOP
2,16,440
2,16,000 4.
SSP
2,92,474
4,00,000 5.
NPK Complexes
6,49,320
5,50,000
TOTAL
23,32,777
23,06,000

48. Status Of Quality Control Of Fertilizers During 2013-14
Sl.No
No. of Laboratory
Annual Capacity
Samples Received
Samples Analysed
Found Non-standard 3
4500
1011
927
144

49. Consumption Of Fertilizers During Rabi 2012-13
Consumption In MT
UREA
868507
DAP
281571
SSP
233111
MAP 64 AS
5216
MOP
136543
NPK COMPLEX
476992

50. Use of bio-fertilizers, organic manures , Compost & green manure during Rabi- 2012-13
VERMI -COMPOST
RURAL & CITY COMPOST
GREEN MANURING
1650 MT
43.35
LAKH MT
23.95
87.7
685100 HA

51. USE OF MICRONUTRIENTS DURING RABI 2012-13 (in MT)
Zinc Sulphate
Ferrous Sulphate
Copper Sulphate
Borax/ Boric Acid
Manganese Sulphate
Magnesium Sulphate
Others
4400
175
398
3585
295
2600
6491

52. ATMA –West Bengal: Present Status1
SEWP –
IDWG approved SEWP Submitted to GOI 2
Provisional AUC,
Submitted to GOI 3
Annual Progress Report 4
Cumulative Progress Report up to 31/07/2013 5
Statement of Expenditure,
Fund for the Year is yet to be released to West Bengal.

53. Financial Statement: 2013-14 (Up to 31/08/2013)
Unspent opening balance as on 01/04/2013
Central Share
State Share
Funds received from DAC
Nil
Release of State’s Matching Share
Total Expenditure as on 31/08/2013
Unspent closing balance as on 01/09/2013
Fund for the Year is yet to be release to West Bengal.

54. Financial Achievement: 2012-13 and Target 2013-14
Sl No.
ACTIVITIES
Utilized during
(Lakh Rs.)
Proposed for
under SEWP 1
Training of Farmers
489.38 2
Demonstration
81.300 3
Exposure Visit of Farmers 4
Mobilization of Farmers’ Groups
42.630 5
Farm Information Dissemination
58.640 6
Agril. Tech. Refinement, Validation & Adoption
64.070 7
Farm School 8
Innovative Activities
55.630 9
Administrative Expenses 10
Farmers’ Friend
Nil
804.08 11
Developing SREP
47.500 12
SAMETI level Activities
92.732 13
State level Activities
TOTAL

55. Physical Achievement: 2012-13 and Target 2013-14
Sl No.
ACTIVITIES
Achievement during
Target for
under SEWP 1
Training of Farmers
57884 mandays
mandays 2
Demonstration
2032 no. DCs
6864 no. DCs 3
Exposure Visit of Farmers
3683 mandays
38930 mandays 4
Mobilization of Farmers’ Groups
287 groups
774 groups 5
Farm Information Dissemination
412 leaflets/ booklets
650 leaflets/ booklets 6
Agril. Tech. Refinement, Validation & Adoption
16448 mandays
35550 mandays 7
Farm School
315 FSs
1038 FSs 8
Farmers Award
210 farmers &
29 groups
1029 farmers &
95 groups 9
Kissan Mela / Exhibition
5 nos.
19 nos. 10
Farmers’ Friend
Nil
20102 nos. 11
Developing SREP 19 12
SAMETI level Activities
87 courses
80 courses

56. SPECIALISTS AND FUNCTIONARY SUPPORT, 2013-14
Sl.no.
Name of the post
No.ofpost
Recruitment position 1
State Coordinator
Not recruited 2
Project Director, District 18
16 posts filled up through Secondment 3
Deputy PD, District 38
36 posts filled up through Secondment 4
Accountant Clerk, District 19
19 posts filled up through Secondment. Process initiated for recruitment 5
Computer Programmer, District
Recruited -2 (Coochbehar , Malda) , Advt. published -4 (Burdwan. Nadia, North 24 Paraganas & Howrah) 6
BTM, Block
347
Recruited - 57 (12 in Coochbehar, 30 in South 24 Paraganas & 15 in Malda). Advt. published -4 (Burdwan. Nadia, North 24 Paraganas & Howrah) 7
S M S at Block
694
Recruited -2 (Siliguri ATMA dist). Advt. published -4 (Burdwan. Nadia, North 24 Paraganas & Howrah) 8
Deputy Director, SAMETI
Filled up through Secondment 9
Accountant Clerk, SAMETI 10
Computer Programmer, SAMETI
Process going on. 11
Farmers Friend at Village
20102
Not recruited.

57. Under post kharif season, crops like Black Gram,Maize will be grown.
Contingent Plan
Under post kharif season, crops like Black Gram,Maize will be grown.
Promotion of Khesari, Toria, like crop will also increase area & production of Pulse & Oilseed crops even under rainfed condition.
Rabi crops like Wheat, Mustard, Lentil, Maize, Groundnut & Summer crops like Sesame and Moong are the best suited crops under West Bengal situation.

58. Challenges & Strategies ………..
Departure of rainfall from normal rhythm particularly in rainy months,
Reduced span of winter period to grow cold loving Rabi crops resulting restricted VRR,
More than 64% of the Geographical Area is under cultivation with 180% cropping intensity & putting pressure on natural resources.
High cost of Phosphatic & Potassic fertilizer facilitates imbalanced NPK ratio in soil(2.92:1.6:1.0).

59. Strategies:
Under Low area & High productivity Zone, increased C/Q Seed availability from increased Seed Certification Programme.
Under High area & low productivity zone, increased Mechanization with Zero Till machine & use of quality seed.
Utilization of potential Rice fallow areas under Relay(poira) cropping of Lentil, Khesari, Toria & mustard.
Integrated Planning for supply of Quality Resources to the production systems.
Increased production of Vermicompost, other low cost indigenous nutrient sources & increased employment generation,
Reducing the Gap of IPC & IPU.
Better income realization by farmers with market linkage

60. ‘ ‘Area Expansion’. Strategic Technological Tools :
Farm Mechanization with Zero/Minimal seed-drill to utilize residual moisture for timely sowing of Wheat, Pulses & Oilseeds.
Extension of Intercropping, Mixed cropping, Relay cropping of Pulse, Oilseed & Maize to low lying Rice Fallow & upland field during Early/Rabi and Rabi season respectively,
Expansion of irrigation potential & reducing the gap between IPC & IPU through micro irrigation, Reduction of conveyance loss, Soil & Water conservation and Dry land & rainfed farming, & to convert cultivable Waste land to cultivated Land.
Research with new crops & varieties & under diversified soil and changing climatic condition for improved SRR & VRR.

61. ‘‘Vertical Expansion’ through ‘Productivity Augmentation’.
Strategic Technological Tools :
Increased Seed &Variety Replacement rate.
Expanding SRI Boro Area & with saved water resources, increasing irrigated Wheat, Pulse, Oilseed & Maize cultivation.
Training ,Extension & e-Governance.
Farm mechanization : Electrical pumps, Zero till seed drill, Tractor, PowerTiller, Drum Seeder ,Delivery Pipe etc.
Soil Health Management & Soil Test based nutrient Management, INM & IPM,
Resource conservation technology: Mulching, Efficient irrigation Conveyance , to holding size of the farmers.

62. ‘Better income’ realization by farmers
Providing alternative input production capacity to farmers through:
Azolla/Vermi/Compost/Green/Leaf manuring.
Demonstration & research on Integrated Farming System with livelihood support,
Selection of popular market crops and varieties,
Better provision of Storage and linking post harvest processing to Agro-Industries in PPP mode for value addition.
Reducing cost of production: Stress on location specific technology development integrating the ITKs.
Providing bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides etc to combat high cost P & K Fertilizers &synthetic pesticides.

63. Prioritised Issues of West Bengal
Due to Climatic aberration during Kharif & Rabi, early Duration Rabi Varieties of Wheat, Lentil, Mustard, Khesari (Lathyrus), Groundnut, Sunflower with high yield potentiality under the region and availability of Quality/Certified seeds and it’s integration with Seed Rolling Plan.
Intensified Mechanisation programme with funding support as per choice of farmers for high area with low productivity zone.
Resource conservation technology with Zero Till/FIRB or other technological Tools for Rabi crops like Wheat, Rice, Maize, Pulses & Oilseeds.
Marketing infrastructure for increased price realization
Micro-Irrigation facility with rational subsidies under all the Departments.
Value addition through Intensified Post Harvest Management Programme including Food Processing.
Establishment of Custom Hiring Service for farm mechinaries.

64. Thank You