The Prime Minister has called for raising farm productivity to meet the growing demand of foodgrains in the country. Dr. Manmohan Singh said, the country needs to produce more foodgrains to meet the rising demand, besides controlling high food prices. Delivering the foundation day lecture of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, ICAR, in New Delhi, Dr Singh said, the total demand for foodgrains is projected to touch 280 million tonnes by 2020-21. He said, to meet this requirement, the foodgrains output needs to grow by 2 per cent annually. He stressed the need for protection of crops, animals and farm produce against new diseases and careful application of biotechnology to improve productivity, for accelerating agricultural performance. He said the inclusive development strategies that the government is following will increase the income of the poorer section of the society thereby raising the demand for not only foodgrains but also fruits, vegetables and animal produce. Earlier, the Prime Minister gave away Krishi Karman awards to five states Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Assam and Odisha for performance in achieving record foodgrain production. Addressing the function, the Agriculture Minister Mr. Sharad Pawar said, foodgrain production has reached a record 241 million tonnes in 2010-11. He stressed the need for technological breakthrough and innovative agriculture development programmes to maintain the current momentum in agricultural production. Speaking to reporters later, Mr Pawar said, the government has decided to lift the over four-year-old ban on wheat exports. He said, the government has not announced the quantity of wheat allowed for exports as global prices are very low.