Total production of paddy, wheat, maize, millet, barley and buckwheat is expected to hover at 8.74 million tons this fiscal year, down from 9.46 tons last fiscal year.[break]
“Cereal crop production fell due to scanty rainfall during the plantation season,” Bijay Kumar Mallik, the chief of the statistics division at the Ministry of Agricultural Development, said at a press conference on Thursday.
The country witnessed very little rainfall during the November-December period, while downpour in February, March and April was more than what was expected.
“Despite this, crop production did not plunge owing to the use of hybrid seedlings and modern technology,” Mallik said.
Crops were planted on 3.34 million hectors of land this fiscal year, down from 3.48 million hectors last fiscal year. It is estimated that 2,613 kg of crops were grown in each hector of land this year, a drop of four percent compared to the last fiscal year. This shows productivity in crop production also declined this fiscal year.
As per estimates, production of paddy -- which makes up 52 percent of the total crop production -- would plunge by 11.3 percent to 4.50 million tons this fiscal year.
The fall was recorded as paddy could not be planted in 110,000 hectors of land this fiscal year due to drought.
Although weather-related problems caused distress to farmers, those who were able to grow received relatively better prices this year.
Average wholesale prices of paddy stood at Rs 2,083 per quintal this fiscal year, up from Rs 1,980 of last fiscal year.
This was the same in the case of maize. Production of maize -- which makes up 23 percent of the total crop production -- is estimated to fall by 8.3 percent to 1.99 tons this fiscal year. But average wholesale prices of maize hovered at Rs 2,255 this fiscal year, a rise of 3.6 percent from last fiscal year’s.
Average wholesale prices of wheat also went up by a whopping 21 percent this fiscal year to 2,461 per quintal. Production of wheat -- which makes up 22 percent of the total crop production -- however, is expected to grow by two percent to 1.88 million tons this fiscal year.
“Timely winter monsoon is one of the main reasons for growth in wheat production,” the agriculture ministry said.
Production of barley and buckwheat is also expected to grow by six percent and 0.3 percent respectively, to 36,973 tons and 10,056 tons this fiscal year. However, millet production is estimated to fall by three percent to 305,588 tons this fiscal year.
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