Food Security Mission remains a non-starter in UP

The UPA governments much-hyped National Food Security Mission launched in 2007 to boost the productivity of rice....

The UPA governments much-hyped National Food Security Mission launched in 2007 to boost the productivity of rice,wheat and pulses has failed to make much of an impact in Uttar Pradesh,one of the top-ranking states in terms of food production. The mission,which comprises centrally funded schemes,is scheduled to wind up in March 2012.

In last two fiscals,i.e. 2007-08 and 2008-09,UP failed to fully utilise the funds provided by the Centre for the mission. Red tape in the implementation of the project,lack of staff in the state agriculture department,which is the implementing agency,and lack of awareness about the mission among farmers are some of the causes responsible for the poor response to the scheme.

Shortage of staff,particularly in the extension wing of the agriculture department,is a major factor affecting the implementation of the programme. Against the sanctioned strength of over 700 Gazetted officers,only 180 are working,who,besides supervising the NFSM,have also to monitor other schemes and carry out their routine duties, said Rajit Ram Verma,director,agriculture department.

In 2007-08,against the provision of Rs 84 crore,the expenditure was only Rs 49 crore. In 2008-09,against the provision of Rs 189 crore,the expenditure was Rs 125 crore. In the current fiscal,against the total available funds of Rs 122 crore,there had been no fund utilisation till mid-June.

The NFSM in UP has three components for increasing the per hectare productivity of three crops wheat,rice and pulses. As many as 26 districts with a lower productivity than the average productivity for the state have been identified for rice,19 districts for the pulses,and 38 districts for the wheat crop. The project is good for the state but for obtaining maximum benefits from it,improvements in the mechanism of its implementation are needed,availability of the agriculture inputs like certified seed,fertilisers,micro nutrient on schedule should be ensured said Singh.

Officially the programme was launched in UP in 2007-08,but it actually took off in the last quarter of 2008,so there was no impact in Rabi crop of 2008-09 and for a vast state like UP,no programme can be popularised in a short span of a few months unless backed by organised extension services,said O P Agnihotri,consultant of the NFSM programme in agriculture department.