The country’s foodgrain output will touch an all-time high of 257.44 million tonnes in 2011-12, according to the Government’s latest estimates. This represents a 5.17 per cent growth over the final output of 244.78 mt in 2010-11.
The fourth advance estimates, released on Tuesday, pegged the foodgrain output 5 mt higher from the earlier projections of 252.56 mt in April.
Record wheat harvest
The upward revision is primarily led by a record harvest of wheat, which currently stands at 93.90 mt. In the previous year, the wheat output stood at 86.87 mt. Good rains and a prolonged winter aided the bumper wheat harvest in 2011-12, during which the Government has procured over 38 mt.
The record estimate comes a day after the Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, admitted that poor monsoon in the current year has posed a challenge to sustain growth in foodgrain production witnessed in the past two years.
The production of rice stood at 104.32 mt in 2011-12 against the targeted 102 mt. In 2010-11, rice production stood at 95.98 mt.
Eastern region
The spread of green revolution to eastern States such as Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa is driving the rice output in recent years. In the past five years, the country’s rice output has seen an increase of 8 per cent from 96.69 mt in 2007-08 to 104.32 mt in 2011-12.
The production of pulses has seen an increase of 2 lakh tonnes over the target to 17.21 mt, but remained lower than the last year’s 18.24 mt. So also, the production of oilseeds was lower by about 2.4 mt over the previous year. The total oilseeds production stood at 30 mt in 2011-12 against 32.47 mt in the previous year.
The cotton output stood at 35.2 million bales (of 170 kg each) in 2011-12 against 33 million bales in the previous year. The sugarcane output has been pegged at 357.67 mt against 342.38 million tonnes in the previous year.
Source: The Hindu Business Line