Centre estimates 6% drop in kharif rice output this season
In the summer-sown season 2021-22, the country produced a record 111 million tonnes of rice. The agriculture ministry said the total foodgrain estimate is higher by 6.98 million tonne than the average foodgrain production of previous five years’ (2016-17 to 2020-21) during the corresponding period.
Total food grain output from summer-sown crops is projected to be 149.92 million tonnes and rice output will be 104.99 million tonne, a decline of 6% over the corresponding period last year, the farm ministry’s first of the four quarterly advance estimates of crop output for 2022-23 showed on Wednesday.
In the summer-sown season 2021-22, the country produced a record 111 million tonnes of rice. The agriculture ministry said the total foodgrain estimate is higher by 6.98 million tonne than the average foodgrain production of previous five years’ (2016-17 to 2020-21) during the corresponding period.
The kharif rice estimate for 2022-23 too is higher by 4.40 million tonne than the previous five years’ average of 100.59 million tonne.
Patchy summer rains hit paddy sowing in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Jharkhand, which have large rice-growing belts. Acreage under paddy, the main summer staple, declined by nearly 1.9 lakh hectare to 39.9 million hectares, compared to 41.7 million hectares the previous year, data as on September 16 showed.
India banned wheat export in May after a heatwave trimmed output and curbed overseas rice shipments this month to bolster domestic availability amid a global food crisis
The output of summer-sown pulses has been projected at 8.37 million tonne, with marginal declines in tur (pigeon pea) and urad (black gram) . Output of coarse cereals or millets is projected to be 36.56 million tonne, compared to 35.91 million tonne the previous year. Maize output is forecast to be 23.10 million tonne compared to 22.63 million tonne last year.
The production of oilseeds, which yield vegetable oils, is projected to be 23.57 million tonne against last year’s 23.88 million tonne. Soyabean output will be marginally lower at 12.89 million tonne, the estimates showed.
The farm ministry estimates cotton output to be higher at 34.19 million bales (of 170 kg each) in 2022-23 crop year compared to 31.20 million bales last year.
Sugarcane output is set to touch a record 465.05 million tonne against 431.8 million tonne in the year-ago period, the data showed.