Poor monsoon likely to hit 2015-16 Kharif output by 1.78%

Declining for the fourth consecutive year, India's foodgrain production is projected to drop by 1.78 <g data-gr-id="13">per cent</g> to 124.05 million tonnes in the 2015-16 <g data-gr-id="12">kharif</g> season due to poor monsoon and drought-like situation in some states like Karnataka. Foodgrain output was 126.31 million tonnes (MT) in the <g data-gr-id="14">kharif</g> (summer) season of the 2014-15 crop year (July-June).

The country had achieved a record 131.27 MT foodgrain production in 2011-12. Releasing the first advance estimates for the 2015-16 <g data-gr-id="15">kharif</g> crops, the Agriculture Ministry said, "The cumulative rainfall during the current monsoon season has been deficient by 15 per cent, i.e. higher than rainfall deficit of 12 per cent in 2014-15." 

As a result, the <g data-gr-id="19">kharif</g> production of rice, coarse cereals and pulses, which are part of foodgrain basket, is likely to decline this year as compared to the fourth advance estimate of <g data-gr-id="20">kharif</g> foodgrain output for 2014-15. The Min, however, said that these are preliminary estimates and would undergo revision based on feedback from the states. It releases four estimates before the final one. As per the first estimate, rice output is projected to decline to 90.61 MT in the 2015-16 <g data-gr-id="21">kharif</g> season.