(Our Agriculture Editor) New Delhi, 21 January - Prime Minister AtalBihari Vajpayee called for greater encouragement to export-orientedsectors like floriculture. The output of oilseeds and pulses also neededto be stepped up to achieve self-sufficiency in these products, he said.

Vajpayee was inaugurating the programme for setting up Krishi(agriculture) call centres and exclusive farm channels on the Doordarshanand television channels of the Indira Gandhi National Open University(IGNOU).

He said though the country's agricultural output had grown substantially,the product base was not diversified enough to end deficits of essentialitems like edible oils and pulses. Since these commodities had still to beimported, it was causing hardships for the poor.

Referring to the scope for flower exports, he said Europe was snow-clad atpresent and could not grow fresh flowers to meet its demand. Indianfarmers could produce fresh flowers for exports