February 17, 2004

India To Reap Bumper Grain Harvest

India is likely to reap a bumper grain harvest of 208-215 million tonnes this year given area expansion and a good monsoon.

"This is one of the excellent agricultural seasons in a number of years and the conservative estimate is foodgrains production of 208 million tonnes and 23-23.5 million tonnes oilseeds including 5.8-5.9 million tonnes mustard", India's Agriculture Commissioner C D Mayee said.

He said these were initial estimates including that of 73-74 million tonne wheat but if the weather continues to be favourable, then there will be a sudden jump in production to around 212-215 million tonnes.

Confirming the high production trend, India's outgoing Agriculture Secretary R C Jain said, "we are poised for excellent harvest this year of 212-215 million tonnes.

Addressing the National Conference on Agriculture, he said the Indian government was consulting UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) on devising the ways and means to diversify cultivation from wheat-rice to oilseeds-pulses.