Govt projects fourth consecutive year of record foodgrain output at 295.67 mn tonnes for 2019-20

NEW DELHI: The country is estimated to achieve an all-time high foodgrains production of 295.67 million tonne in 2019-20 crop year, the fourth consecutive year of record production, buoyed by good rains, the Agriculture Ministry’s latest data released on Friday said.

According to the data, the estimated output of foodgrains this year is up 3.67 per cent over the year-ago period and has even crossed its target of 291.10 million tonne, which it had set before the beginning of the 2019-20 sowing season.

Total foodgrains production includes crops grown during both kharif (summer) and rabi (winter) seasons. At present, harvesting of rabi crops is in the final stages amid the COVID-19 crisis.

This is the fourth consecutive year-on-year higher output of foodgrain since 2016-17 crop year (July-june). The previous record was 285.21 million tonne during the 2018-19 crop year.

“The cumulative rainfall in the country during the monsoon season (June to September, 2019) had been 10 per cent higher than the Long Period Average (LPA). Accordingly, the production of most of the crops for the agricultural year 201920 has been estimated higher than their normal production,” the ministry said releasing the third estimate of production.

Among all crops, the output of wheat -- the main rabi crop -is estimated at an all-time high level of 107.18 million tonnes in 2019-20, up from 103.60 million tonne previous year. Harvesting of wheat crop is in the final stage of completion. Similarly, the output of rice — the main kharif crop — is estimated to be a record 117.94 million tonne this year, higher from 116.48 million tonne last year.

At the same time, the production of coarse cereals is estimated to be a record 47.54 million tonne as against 43.06 million tonne in the said period.

Production of maize is pegged at a record 28.98 million tonnes this year, up from 27.72 million tonne in the 201819 crop year, but barley output is estimated to lower at 1.59 million tonne as against 1.63 million tonne in the said period.

In case of pulses, total production is estimated to increase to 23.01 million tonne this year from 22.08 million tonne last year. Of which, tur production is pegged at 3.75 million tonnes and chana at 10.90 million tonne for this year.