The Centre on Monday said that India’s food grain output from kharif crop was likely to decline by 2.8% in 2017-’18 as compared to 2016-’17. The output will fall from the record of 1,385.2 lakh tonnes in 2016-17 to 1,346.7 lakh tonnes, according to the government’s first formal estimate of the harvest.
Rural incomes in some parts of the country may be affected as a result of this. However, the agriculture ministry said that the food grain output would still be higher than the average of the past five years, which stands at 1,282.4 lakh tonnes.
“The country has adequate stock of food grain,” former agriculture secretary Siraj Hussain told The Economic Times. “So on the food security front, there is nothing to worry about. But farmers in rain-fed areas may be hard-hit, and their income might reduce if prices don’t recover.”
Production of rice is likely to decline by 1.98% to 944.8 lakh tonnes while production of pulses could drop by 7.5% to 87.1 lakh tonnes, said the government statement.
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