Foodgrain output likely to be at 296 million tonnes for 2019-20: 3rd advance estimates

Record production in most crops, barring pulses, in 2019-20 has helped India to have a bumper foodgrains harvest of 295.67 million tonnes (MT), nearly 3.7 per cent more than 285.21 MT produced in 2018-19, according to third advance cop estimates released by Agriculture Ministry on Friday.

Wheat and coarse cereals accounted for much of the increase in production. While wheat output is estimated to be 107.18 MT in the current crop year (July-June) as compared to 103.6 MT in the previous year, coarse cereals production to increase by nearly 4.5 MT to 47.54 MT. The output of rice too scheduled to go up by close to 1.5 MT to 117.94 MT as against that in the previous crop year.

At 33.5 MT, oilseeds production is projected to be 2 MT higher than 31.52 MT in the previous year, whereas pulses production is estimated to increase by 1 MT to 23.01 MT.

After a slump in production last year, the cotton yield is expected to look up with a record 36 million bales (1 bale is 170 kg) this year. Sugarcane production, as expected, is down by 47 MT to 358 MT in 2019-20.

Third advance crop production estimates (in million tonnes)