Production of major crops is likely to fall by 2.8 per cent in 2012-13 due to lower acreage, economic think tank CMIE has said.
“Production of major crops is projected to fall by 2.8 per cent in 2012-13. We have revised our production projections downwards from our earlier estimate of 2.3 per cent decline,” Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy said in monthly report.
As the kharif sowing came to an end by October, acreage turned out to be lower than expectations. Production of rice is projected to fall by 3.4 per cent in FY13 as its acreage declined by 4.1 per cent to 375 lakh hectares as on November 2.
“As sowing failed to pick pace, we now expect rice production to be limited to 100.8 million tonne in 2012-13,” it said.
Wheat output is expected to fall by 0.1 per cent to 93.8 million tonne, it said adding that rabi sowing of the foodgrain was yet to be initiated by November 2.
Coarse cereals production is projected to fall for the second consecutive fiscal and is expected to decline by 9.8 per cent to 37.6 million tonne.
Of this, bajra may record steepest dip of 28.4 per cent as irregular monsoon in Rajasthan, the major producing state of the coarse cereal, witnessed irregular rainfall during June-August affecting the cultivation.
Kharif sowing of bajra was undertaken on 60.8 lakh hectares as on October 19, lower by 24.8 per cent.
“We expect bajra production to fall to 7.2 million tonne in 2012-13 from 10.1 million tonne last year,” it said.
Production of pulses is expected to fall by 1.5 per cent to 16.9 million tonne in FY13.
The production of green gram, horse gram and miscellaneous pulses is likely to impact the overall output, CMIE pointed out.