Green revolution to come from rain-fed areas: Rawat

New Delhi, Aug 1 (IANS) Amid reports of drought-like conditions in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Rajsthan, India's second green revolution would come only from rain-fed regions, Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat said Wednesday.

"If the second green revolution is to come, it would come from rain-fed areas. We have to focus on that," Rawat said while speaking on 'Generating Responses to an Uncertain Monsoon' at the Observer Research Foundation here.

Stating that 80 percent farmers depend on the south west monsoon, he stressed on the need to improve technology and policies to help farmers tackle the uncertain monsoon.

L.M. Rathore, director general of the India Meteorological Department, said though the monsoon had been poor so far, it would pick up soon and rainfall would be better till September.

Former cabinet secretary Surendra Singh said there was an urgent need to evolve a long-term monsoon management system.

Ravender Singh, head of the Physics Division at Indian Agriculture Research Institute, said: "What is important is the distribution of rainfall. Drought itself is not a disaster. Management issues are very important".

V.U.M. Rao, project coordinator of Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, said even in the case of poor monsoon, technological interventions could be used to maintain agricultural output.