Government estimates kharif crop output for 2019-20 slightly lower than last year

Agriculture Ministry on Monday released the First Advance Estimates of production of major Kharif crops for 2019-20. The ministry has released the estimates after the assessment of production of different crops is based on the feedback received from different states. As per the data released by Agriculture Ministry, the foodgrain production of the country is estimated slightly lower at 140.57 million tonnes in the kharif season of 2019-20 crop year. It is to be noted that foodgrains production was 141.71 million tonnes (MT) in the kharif season of the 2018-19 crop year (July-June).

As per First Advance Estimates, the estimated production of major crops during Kharif 2019-20 is as under:

Foodgrains –  140.57 million tonnes.
Rice  –  100.35  million tonnes.
Nutri / Coarse Cereals  –  32.00 million tonnes.
Maize  –  19.89 million tonnes.
Pulses  –  8.23 million tonnes.
Tur  –  3.54 million tonnes.
Oilseeds –  22.39 million tonnes.
Soyabean  –  13.50 million tonnes
Groundnut  –  6.31 million tonnes
Cotton  –  32.27 million bales (of 170 kg each)
Jute  & Mesta - 9.96 million bales (of 180 kg each)
Sugarcane – 377.77 million tonnes

The Department of Agriculture said in a press release that the production of most of the crops for the agricultural year 2019-20 has been estimated higher than their normal production but the estimates would undergo revision based on further feedback from the states. As per First Advance Estimates for 2019-20 (Kharif Only), total foodgrain production in the country is estimated at 140.57million tonnes. The production during 2019-20is higher by 8.44 million tonnes than the average foodgrain production of previous five years’ (2013-14 to 2017-18).

The total production of kharif rice is estimated at 100.35million tonnes, which is higher by 6.80 million tonnes than the five years’ average production of 93.55 million tonnes. The press release said that the production of kharif nutri / coarse cereals is estimated at 32.00 million tonnes. It is higher by 1.01million tonnes than the production of 30.99 million tonnes achieved during 2018-19.

The country's foodgrain production is estimated slightly lower at 140.57 million tonnes in the kharif season of 2019-20 crop year on likely fall in rice and pulses output, according to a latest data released by the Agriculture Ministry.