The nation is likely to hit an all-time high food grains output of over 297 million tones in 2020-21, the fifth consecutive year of record production, as per the government’s second advance estimate, which is to be announced soon.
This will be marginally higher than the fourth advance estimates of 2019-20, which is at over 296 million tonnes. However, the expected production is short of 301 million tonnes of food grains production targeted for 2020-21.
'We plan to reach the goal. There'll be more three estimates before finalising the production for this year. The number will step up in subsequent estimates,' said an agriculture ministry official.
According to the second advance estimate to be published soon, wheat production is likely to be about 107 million tonnes while rice output will hit 119 million tonnes, which is a new record. The pulses production will be at last year’s level at 23 million tonnes while the output of oilseed crops is expected to go up.
‘After achieving self-sufficiency in pulses, our emphasis is on increasing oilseeds production to minimize reliance on edible oil imports. This year, we are likely to hit 34 million tonnes as against last year’s fourth advance forecast of 33.4 million tonnes. The production of oilseeds will go up in subsequent years,' the official said.
The prediction of record production is important amid the Covid-19 pandemic and farmers’ agitation. Punjab, which has been the nerve center of farmers’ agitation, has seen record procurement of rice at 13.58 million tonnes, which is 24 percent more than last year.
There seems to be no effect of pandemic and farmers’ unrest in agricultural activity so far in the region. Farmers in Punjab actively engaged in the procurement exercise and planted wheat through areas at last year’s level,' the official said.
The year-on-year record production has resulted in an increase in farm exports, which rose 25 percent to Rs 1.02 lakh crore in the first three quarters of fiscal 2020-21.
The rise is mainly because of a sharp increase of 52 percent in exports of cereal including wheat, rice and other nutri-cereals like maize, millets and sorghum. Many countries facing food grains shortage stocking up despite the uncertainty triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic,' the official added.
