India sets a record foodgrains target of 291 million tonnes

The government has set an ambitious foodgrains target of 291.1 million tonnes (mt) for 2019-20, nearly 2.6 per cent more than the previous year’s 283.7 mt, as a favourable monsoon is anticipated in the current season.

While the target set for rice is 116 mt, 3 mt more than that in 2018-19, wheat production target is set at 100.5 mt, which is marginally higher than the previous year’s (July-June) 100 mt, said Agricultural Ministry sources at the National Kharif Campaign conference on Thursday.

However, as per the second advance estimates for 2018-19, rice output is projected to be 115.6 mt, while that of wheat is 99.12 mt.

Targets set

The government, on the other hand, is hoping to have a substantial 10 per cent increase in pulses production at 26.3 mt, as against the target of 24 mt in the previous year.

The target set for coarse cereals is 48.3 mt as against 46.7 mt last year.

The output of oilseeds, however, is expected to be 36.1 mt (36 mt in 2018-19). So is cotton, whose tentative target for 2019-20 is 35.75 million bales of 170 kg each, marginally higher than 35.5 million bales in 2018-19.

However, as per the second advance estimates, projected oilseeds production in 2018-19 was 31.5 mt, while that of cotton was a poor 30 million bales.

Targeted sugarcane production, on the other hand, is 385.5 mt, nearly 30 mt more than that targeted in the previous year, but only 5 mt more than that was estimated in the 2018-19 second advance estimates.

Maize target for the current year is 28.9 mt, while that for bajra and jowar are 9.5 mt and 4.9 mt respectively.