Production of pulses and oilseeds in the country was less than the requirement even as annual foodgrain production is on the rise, government said today.

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said in Lok Sabha that foodgrain production was estimated to touch 257.07 million tonnes in 2014-15 which would be higher than the projected requirement of 249 million tonnes.

“The average annual increase in overall production of foodgrains in the country has been registered at 3.48 per cent during the period 2009-10 to 2014-15 (second advanced estimates), which is higher than annual average increase of 1.29 per cent in the total production.

“However, there is still a gap between production and requirement of pulses and oilseeds,” he said during Question Hour.

Singh was responding to a question whether production of foodgrains, pulses and oilseeds was not keeping pace with the rapid growth in population.

The Minister said the government provides various incentives to all farmers, including small and marginal people, for inputs such as seeds and bio-fertilisers.

To help increase the overall production, the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) was launched in 2007-08.

“The Mission is being implemented during 12th Five Year Plan with new target of additional production of foodgrains of 25 million tonnes comprising 10 million tonnes of rice, 8 million tonnes of wheat, 4 million tonnes of pulses, and 3 million tonnes of coarse cereals,” he said.

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