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26
September 2018
food-grain (The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions)
India is likely to post record high
food-grain production this kharif season, with monsoonrains being normal in
main crop-producing states, the government’s initial estimates show.
Production of rice, sugarcane and oilseed is
expected to be higher than last year, show the first advance estimate of the
agriculture ministry, released on Wednesday. Coarse cereals, pulses and cotton
are expected to see a fall in output.
Production of kharif crops that are
cultivated during the rainy season is expected to be 141.59 million tonnes in
2018-19, which is 0.61%, or 0.86 million tonnes, more than last year’s 140.73
million tonnes, which is the highest so far. This will be 11.94 million tonnes
more than the average production for the five years through 2016-17.
These are preliminary estimates and will
undergo revisions based on further feedback from states, the government said.
Cumulative rainfall in the country during the monsoon season till date has been
9% lower than the Long Period Average. However, rains in north-west and central
India and southern Peninsula have been normal and hence most of the major crop
producing states have witnessed normal rainfall, the government said.
Production of rice, the main kharif crop, is
estimated to be 99.24 million tonnes, or 1.78% more than the previous year.
“The
bumper production is a good sign for exports,” said BV Krishna Rao, president
of the Rice Exporters’ Association. The excess production can be exported to
China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, he said.
The next round of paddy planting will now
take place in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and “we expect 13-14 million tonnes
of rice more production by February”, Rao said.
The output of kharif pulses such as tur,
moong and urad is estimated at 9.22 million tonnes, less than last year’s
production of 9.34 million tonnes.
Bimal Kothari, vice chairman of the India
Pulses & Grains Association, said prices were ruling below the minimum
support price (MSP), discouraging farmers from planting pulses. "Tur MSP
is Rs 58.50 a kg while the government is selling at Rs 35-37 a kg. Same is the
case for urad and moong. Prices will now remain stable and government has to
ensure prices reach the MSP level to help farmers. Ban on imported pulses
should continue,” he said.
Production of oilseeds such as groundnut,
soyabean and castorseed is estimated to increase 5.66% over the previous year
to 22.19 million tonnes, the government said. “Soyabean is definitely high but
groundnut is down. The government now needs to ensure that farmers gets the
price so as to ensure higher planting this rabi season,” said BV Mehta, executive
director at the Solvent Extractors Association.
Sugarcane production is estimated at 383.89
million tonnes, higher by 6.99 million tonnes from the last year.
With area under cotton being 0.89% lower this
kharif season, the government estimates production to fall to 32.48 million
bales (of 170 kg each) from 34.88 million bales in 2017-18. However, Atul
Ganatra, president of the Cotton Association of India, said there could be a
revision in production figures as the season progresses. The industry said the
crop could be 33-35 million bales, which would still be lower than the previous
year when it had estimated production at 36.5 million bales.
Total production of coarse cereals has
decreased to 33.13 million tonnes as compared to 33.89 million tonnes in
2017-18. Production of maize is expected to be 21.47 million tonnes, which is
higher by 1.23 million tonnes from last year, show the government estimates.The Total Investment & Insurance
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