As per the second advance estimate put out by Union Agriculture Ministry on Friday, 263.20 million tonnes of foodgrain has been produced this year, 3.91 million tonnes more than the 259.29 million tonnes produced in 2011-12, making it the highest ever foodgrain production the country has seen.
In addition, some parts of the country received rain on Thursday, which augurs well “at this stage” for the standing wheat crop, agriculture experts told The Hindu .
Record production of rice, wheat, oilseeds and cotton has contributed to the overall rise in foodgrain output this crop year (2013-14). Last year’s production, hit by delayed onset of monsoon, was 257.13 million tonnes.
The second advance estimate put out by Union Agriculture Ministry on Friday shows rice output at 106.19 million tonnes, as against 105.24 million tonnes produced in 2012-13, and wheat at 95.60 million tonnes compared to 93.51 million tonnes last year.
With a new thrust on pulses production through adoption of “pulses villages,” the output this year has gone up to 19.77 million tonnes compared to 18.34 million tonnes last year. Coarse cereal production too increased by 1.5 million tonnes to 41.64 million tonnes.
The total oilseeds production this year is expected to be 329.83 lakh tonnes as against 309.43 lakh tonnes last year. Production of rapeseed and mustard is likely to be an all-time high at 82.51 lakh tonnes, compared to 80.29 lakh tonnes last year.
Sugarcane output is expected to be 3459.23 lakh tonnes as compared to 3412.00 lakh tonnes last year.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar recently said that the sector was presently “at its best” with a growth rate of 4.6 per cent during the second quarter of last year. He said farmers had laid the foundation for the rollout of the government’s ambitious food security programme to provide subsidised foodgrains to 67 per cent of the population.
