After ‘Rabi’ and ‘Kharif’ crops, India is now taking a new initiative to promote ‘zaid’ (Catch crops) to ensure extra income to farmers to make India self-reliant on pulses and oilseeds, said the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Kumar Tomar here on Thursday.

He said the government has taken new initiatives through various programmes for the cultivation of summer crops mainly pulses, oilseeds, coarse cereals, and nutria-cereals, the Minister said. The initiative would not only provide extra income but would also create employment opportunities between Rabi and Kharif crops.

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The move would increase crop intensity. “Though more than half of cultivated area in summer is under pulses, oilseeds, and Nutri-cereals, the farmers with irrigation source are growing rice and vegetables during the summer season,” the Minister said.

He said the earlier initiatives taken by the government have already increased the area under cultivation of Zaid crops by more than 2.7 times from 29.71 lakh hectares in 2017-18 to 80.46 lakh hectares in 2020-21.

The Minister was addressing a video conference on Zaid crops called mainly to review and assess the crop performance during the preceding crop seasons and fix crop-wise targets for the summer season in consultation with State Governments.

He said the Government would provide full support to ensure the supply of critical inputs and facilitate the adoption of innovative technologies with a view to enhance production and productivity of the crops. The priority of the government is to increase the production of oilseeds and pulses where large imports are required.

National and state-wise targets for pulses, oilseeds, and Nutri-cereals were set for summer 2021-22. Compared to 40.85 lakh hectares under these crops in 2020-21, an area of 52.72 lakh hectares would be covered during 2021-22 in the country, said a senior officer of the Agriculture Ministry.

Similarly, the pulses would cover 21.05 lakh hectares while 13.78 and 17.89 lakh hectares would be brought under oilseeds and Nutri-cereals, respectively.

The cultivation of Pulses and oilseeds would be promoted through the Targeted Rice Fallow Area sub-component of NFSM and NFSM (OS&OP). These would also be supported as intercrops in Sugarcane and Oil Palm.