Govt to fund pulses, oilseed farming where wheat-blast hit West Bengal.

The General Council of National Food Security Mission decided to allocate funds for cultivation of pulses and oilseeds, in those areas of West Bengal, where the wheat crop was affected by blast disease during the 2016-17 rabi season. Growers in the region had burnt the affected crop that was over 1,000 ha in the state. Among other decisions the council also decided to allocate additional funds to encourage pulses cultivation in rice fallow areas of east India. In 2016-17, the number of districts in the country growing pulses was 638, across 29 states, up from 468 districts in 16 states in 2012-13.