A paddy field in Nagaon. Telegraph picture

Nagaon, April 26: The Centre-sponsored food security mission, which covers 13 districts of Assam and seven districts of Tripura, will now be extended to the four hilly belts of Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

A high-level source of ministry of agriculture said the state governments would soon be informed about the ministry’s decision and after completion of preliminary work, full-fledged execution of the plan would begin simultaneously throughout the Northeast.

The National Food Security Mission includes three crops — rice, pulse and wheat.

In 2007-2008, NSFM (rice) was launched in 13 Assam districts — Nagaon, Morigaon, Bongaigaon, Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Tinsukia, Karbi Anglong, Barpeta, Nalbari and Goalpara.

In 2010-2011, NSFM (pulse) was launched in 10 Assam districts of which eight were already included in the mission’s rice programme.

“There are some major drawbacks for largescale wheat cultivation in the northeastern states because of heavy pre-monsoon rainfall ahead of harvesting, lack of short duration wheat varieties which is essential in case of Assam and other neighbouring states,” said an agricul-ture department source.

However, a state agriculture department source said Dispur was not yet sure whether the area-expansion policy targeted to include remaining districts of the state under the mission, which were uncovered till now.

“The state government in a recent discussion plans to cover 20 per cent paddy area of the state with hybrid varieties and that would be done with support of the government’s existing programmes like Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and double cropping. Hybrid is a prime component of the food security mission and if it is introduced throughout Assam, it might help execute the plan,” the agriculture department source said.

Till now, hybrid rice is cultivated in less than 2 per cent area of Assam and less than 1 per cent in the neighbouring states.

Launched in 2007, the food security mission aims to expand agriculture area, increase productivity, maintain soil fertility and generate jobs.

Major work done under the mission includes demonstration on improved package of practices, hybrid rice technology and system of rice intensification.

Subsidised support of micro-nutrients and irrigation facility to farmers, training for updating of the concept of cultivation are some important components of the mission. Nagaon and Morigaon were adjudged the best districts of Assam last year under the scheme.