India’s food grain output to record 275.68 MT in 2016-17

The Dollar Business Bureau

With good monsoon rains and various policy initiatives by the Government, India’s overall production of food grain to be increased by 2.3 million tonne to an all-time high of 275.68 million tonnes in the crop year 2016-17, according to the fourth advance estimates released by the Agriculture Ministry on Wednesday.

Record production has been achieved in wheat, rice, pulses and coarse cereals in the crop year that ended in June. 

The previous record of food grain production was 265.04 million tonnes, achieved in the crop year 2013-14 (July-June). However, the output had dropped to 251.57 million tonnes in crop year 2015-16. 

“As a result of very good rainfall during monsoon 2016 and various policy initiatives taken by the Government, India has witnessed record food grain production in the current year,” said the Agriculture Ministry in a statement. 

Based on the feedback received from the states, the Agriculture Ministry has revised the overall output of food grain to 275.68 million tonne in its fourth advance estimates for the said year from its previous estimates of 273.38 million tonne. 

An increase of around 2.3 million tonne in food grain production has come mainly from record output in wheat, rice, pulses and coarse cereals, according to the latest data. 

According to the data, rice production is projected to be an all-time high of 110.15 million tonne in the crop year 2016-17 compared to 104.41 million tonne in the last year. Previous record for rice production was 106.65 million tonne in crop year 2013-14. 

Wheat production is estimated to have been 98.38 million tonne in the current crop year compared to 92.29 million tonne in the previous year. The earlier record was 95.85 million tonne, achieved in 2013-14. 

The production of coarse cereals is projected at a record 44.19 million tonne against the 38.52 million tonne in the previous year, whereas the previous high was 43.39 million tonne in 2013 -14. 

The output of pulses is projected to be an all-time high of 22.95 million tonne in 2016-17 compared to 16.35 million tonne in the previous year, while the previous record was 19.25 million tonne, achieved in 2013-14. 

Oilseeds production rise to 32.1 million tonne in the crop year 2016 -17 against the 25.25 million tonne in the previous year.

 Among cash crops, cotton has production has increased to 33.09 million bales (1 bale = 170 kg), on account of higher productivity despite low area coverage during the said year. The production was 30.01 million bales in 2015-16. 

However, sugarcane output is projected to be declined by 11.98% at 306.72 million tonne in the current year compared to 348.45 million tonne last year. 

The output of jute/mesta is estimated to be slightly higher at 10.6 million bales (1 bale = 180 kg) compared to 10.52 million bales last year.