The slowdown in the intensity of the South-West monsoon has not dampened the Centre’s hopes of a record foodgrain production in 2016-17.
“Overall, the monsoon has been favourable to farmers this year. We have received good rains, and the distribution was also good. I am sure we will have record production this year,” Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said, addressing a conference on rabi crops on Thursday. He, however, did not quantify the likely production.
The Centre had earlier set a target of 270.1 million tonnes (MT) of foodgrain production on expectations of an above-normal monsoon. The 265.04 MT output achieved in 2013-14 marks the current record. “A record production this year would mean an output of 265 MT to 270 MT,” a Ministry official said.
Foodgrain production fell in the past two years — to 252.02 MT in 2014-15, and 253.23 MT in 2015-16 — owing to drought.
This year, the Centre had set an ambitious target, encouraged by the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast of an above-normal monsoon, with rainfall at 106 per cent rainfall of the Long Period Average (LPA).
However, between June 1 and September 15, the rainfall recorded was 5 per cent lower than the average. Yet, the IMD reckons that its initial prediction will hold, given the delay in the monsoon’s withdrawal, which usually begins early September. Kharif sowing since the monsoon arrived in June has has been satisfactory due to the good spread of rainfall countrywide.
The Minister noted that pulses production was expected to be a record in the kharif season as sowing had risen 29 per cent to 143.95 lakh hectares.
“Since much of pulses output comes from the rabi season, we need to continue encouraging farmers to grow pulses,” Singh said. Farmers should get the minimum support price (MSP) for pulses so as to incentivise planting in the rabi season as well, he added.
Government agencies have begun procuring kharif moong in Karnataka and Maharasthra at the MSP. Other pulses like tur and urad will be procured once their arrival begins on large scale, Singh said.