Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that production of foodgrain is standing at a record of 144.5 million tons for the 2020-21 kharif season despite COVID-19 pandemic.
According to official sources, foodgrain production for the year 2019-20 stood at 143.4 million. As of now, harvesting is being done for kharif and rice is the prime kharif crop.
"Production value for kharif crops will be superior compared to the previous year. According to the underlying assessments, production is estimated to reach 144.5 million tons in the 2020-21 kharif season," Mr. Tomar said, tending to a digital meeting composed by industry body CII.
Cash crops like cotton and sugarcane are also expected to perform well and the production value for the same will rise too, he commented. He also added, in the face of an ongoing pandemic, the total area under kharif crops rose by around 4.5 % to a total of 1121.7 lakh hectares for the current year.
Mr. Tomar emphasized on agriculture being the major driver of the Indian economy. Agriculture as a sector showed a growth of 3,4% during the initial quarter of the year 2020-21, whereas all the other major sectors of the economy showed a decline.
Regarding the new farming laws, the Minister stated that farmers are being "misdirected" about the changes and emphasized that the MSP system of procurement along with mandis will keep on working across the nation.
