Record foodgrain production of 316.06 mt: Second Advance Estimates

The Second Advance Estimates of production of major crops for the year 2021-22 have been released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. As per this, a record foodgrain production of 316.06 million tonnes (mt) is estimated in the country. The production of most of the crops has gone up from last year but nutri/coarse cereals and cotton have gone in a negative direction.

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar has said that a continuous new record of foodgrain production was being made in the country. This, he said, was “the result of hard work of our farmer brothers and sisters, efficient research of scientists and farmer-friendly policies of the Government.”

As per the Estimates, wheat and rice are set for a record production this year. The production of wheat during 2021-22 is estimated at 111.32 mt. It is higher by 7.44 mt than the average wheat production of 103.88 mt. The average here refers to the previous five years’ (2016-17 to 2020-21) average production. The production last year was 109.59 mt and the target for 2021-22 was 110 mt.

Total production of rice during 2021-22 is estimated at 127.93 mt. It is higher by 11.49 mt than the last five years’ average production of 116.44 mt. The production for 2020-21 was 124.37 mt while the target for 2021-22 was 121.10 mt.

The total foodgrain production in the country is estimated at a record 316.06 mt, which is higher by 5.32 mt than that during 2020-21. The production of 310.74 mt last year also happens to be the target for 2021-22. Besides, the estimated production this year is higher by 25.35 mt than the previous five years’ average production of foodgrains.

The production of nutri/coarse cereals is estimated at 49.86 mt, which is higher by 3.28 mt than the average production. However, this is less than the 2020-21 production of 51.32 mt and the 2021-22 target of 51.21 mt.

There has been an estimate of record maize production of 32.42 mt, higher than the 2020-21 figures of 31.65 mt and the target of 30.90 mt for 2021-22.

Total pulses production during 2021-22 is estimated at 26.96 mt, which is higher by 3.14 mt than the last five years’ average production of 23.82 mt. This is also higher than the production during 2020-21 and the target for 2021-22, both of which stood at 25.46 mt. Besides, a record production of 13.12 mt of grams has been estimated.

The oilseeds production in 2021-22 is estimated at 37.15 mt, which is higher than the production last year of 35.95 mt but lower than the target of 38.4 mt for this year. Rapeseed and mustard are set, however, for a record production of 11.46 mt.

The production of sugarcane during 2021-22 is estimated at 414.04 mt, which is higher than the 405.4 mt last year.

The production of cotton is estimated at 34.06 million bales (each of 170 kg), which is lesser than the 35.25 million bales last year. The production of jute and mesta is estimated at 9.57 million bales (each of 180 kg), higher than the 9.35 million bales last year.