Guwahati, June 8: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has advised the Assam government not to remain solely dependent on rice, but diversify to other crops for developing an expansive farming system.

The Nabard has prepared a document, titled Agrarian Prosperity of Assam: A Roadmap, throwing light on the agriculture sector of the state. Assam governor Lt Gen. (retd) Ajai Singh had asked the Nabard to prepare the report sometime back.

The officials of the bank have submitted the document to the governor last week.

In its report, the Nabard has suggested that some farmers should be encouraged to go for paddy cultivation by adopting a comprehensive farming system for raising foodgrain production from 40,00,000 tonnes (2001-02) to nearly 54,00,000 tonnes by 2004-06.

The other group of farmers should be asked to diversify to other crops, especially cash crops, and related sectors like livestock and fishery, it added.

“Indefinite production of rice is no longer an economically-viable option and diversification to other crops, particularly during the summer, has to be pursued vigorously,” the Nabard report states.

The objective of the roadmap is to diversify traditional cultivation to horticulture crops, medicinal and aromatic plants, and development of post-harvest management.

“Thrust should be given on moving at least a third of the landless labourers from unskilled non-farm sector to skilled jobs with concurrent attention to production, processing and packaging,” the reports adds.

The Nabard said Dispur should bring out a policy document on agriculture for attracting private investment in this sector.

It maintained that food security should be viewed in terms of “food” rather than “foodgrain”. Assam’s future in agriculture depends on commercialisation of this sector, particularly in view the World Trade Organisation, the bank added.