Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar flagged off publicity vehicles and launched the “rabi mahaabhiyan” on Wednesday to boost agricultural productivity in the rabi or winter crops in the state. Wheat is the main produce of the season.

The vehicles will travel to all the 38 districts in the state to disseminate information among the farmers about agriculture department schemes related to the rabi crops, better cultivation techniques, and farming, according to the prevailing weather conditions.

They will also spread awareness about organic farming, better management of crop residue and the environmental dangers of burning it in the farms. Agriculture minister Kumar Sarvjit and senior officials were present on the occasion of flagging of the vehicles.

Bihar produced over 66.35 lakh tonnes of wheat in 2020-21. It is at the sixth position among the top wheat producing states, after Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and contributes around five per cent of total wheat production in the country.

However, the state is grappling with a low compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in wheat production, which is just 1.3 per cent. The productivity CAGR of the crop was negative (-0.22 per cent) in 2020-21. The agriculture department has also planned ‘kisan chaupal’ (farmers meet in all the village panchayats) from November 15 to December 5 and street plays to discuss various aspects of farming in the rabi season.

A top officer from the agriculture department said Bihar was targeting a jump in rabi production, especially wheat.

“The late rains across the state will ensure better moisture level in the soil. It will help rabi productivity. We are also planning to provide better seeds and fertilisers on time to the farmers, among other things,” the officer told this newspaper.