So far, there has been a decrease in the cultivation of Kharif crops in about nine lakh hectares. , Photo credit: Sandeep Saxena
India’s rice production during the kharif season is likely to fall short of the target of 112 million tonnes (MT) and reach only 104.99 MT, said the first advance estimates for 2022-23 released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on Wednesday. Is.
Overall, the Center has estimated foodgrain production at 149.92 MT during the Kharif season. The shortfall in cultivation of kharif crops is about nine lakh hectares till the end of last week. But the Center is optimistic about increasing production of some crops, especially maize and sugarcane.
According to estimates, the production of rice will be 104.99 metric tonnes. The production in 2020-21 was 105.21 MT. The production is higher by 4.40 MT as compared to the last five years’ average production of 100.59 MT of Kharif rice, the Center said.
The production of coarse cereals has also been kept at 36.56 MT in the estimate, which is about 14 MT less than in 2020-21. According to the Centre, the production of maize may reach 23.10 MT, which may set a record. The estimate is 3.21 MT higher than the average maize production of 19.89 MT.
On pulses, the estimate is 83.7 lakh tonnes, which includes 38.9 lakh tonnes of pigeon pea. The total production of oilseeds is estimated at 23.57 metric tonnes. Soybean production can reach up to 12.89 MT. The Center said cotton production could reach 34.19 million bales (of 170 kg each) and jute and mesta production could reach 10.09 million bales (of 180 kg each).
The production of sugarcane is estimated at 465.05 MT, which is also a record. “The total food grain production in the country is estimated at 149.92 MT, which is higher by 6.98 MT than the average food grain production of 2016-17 to 2020-21,” the Center said.