Around two crore farmers in the state will be provided 40% additional loan compared to last year to ensure a higher kharif yield this season.Last year, about Rs 45,000 crore was disbursed as loan to farmers before the kharif season, but the amount has been increased to Rs 63,006 crore this year.The agriculture department studied the traditional Kharif cultivation pattern followed in the state and decided to facilitate more resources for farmers for an increase in the average per hectare yield. Besides, the department is also planning a better seed replacement ratio and increased variety replacement ratio. Every five years, the agriculture department prepares a seed rolling plan through which breeder or certified seeds are sown in rabi and kharif seasons to promote new varieties as per the agro-climatic conditions of the region.A study carried out at the behest of agriculture production commissioner Manoj Kumar Singh found that kharif yield in some districts is less than compared to others in the same region.For instance, in Bundelkhand, urad (black lentil) is sown in kharif season but there was disparity in the per hectare yield in Jalaun and Lalitpur. The yield in Jalaun was 1,550 kg per hectare while it was only 220 kg per hectare in Lalitpur. Gaurav Pandey, a progressive farmer from Jalaun who coordinates with the agriculture department on best practices, said, “Bundelkhand is a parched region and so water intensive crops like paddy and sugarcane cannot be grown here. Urad production has picked up over the past five-six years when the government started providing seeds at highly subsidised rates.”Similarly, when the harvest of til (sesame) was mapped in Kannauj and Kanpur, it was 412 kg per hectare in the former and just 37 kg per hectare in the latter.The department is going to promote sowing of sanva (barnyard millet) and kodo (varagu rice or millet) in Bundelkhand and other dry regions as they do not require much irrigation and are highly nutritious.Moreover, cultivation of urad, moong (green lentil), jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet) and til will also be increased in Bundelkhand.