The country’s kharif food production could be much lower than the Centre’s first advance estimate of a marginal fall. Heavy post-monsoon showers are a key reason.
According to National Bulk Handling Corporation, one of India’s leading providers of integrated commodity and collateral management services, post-monsoon rains was in excess by 32 per cent. In the northwest, 121 per cent so; in central India, 64 per cent excess.
Because of this, it revised its own estimate of October 2019. Now, rice output in 2019-20 is expected to decline by 8.2 per cent over last year and maize by 11.9 per cent. Pulses are projected to fall significantly — moong (green gram) by 27.4 per cent, urad (black gram) by 18.4 per cent and toor (red gram) by 10.5 per cent.
Total oilseed production is estimated to be 23.8 per cent less than last year.
Source: Maalaimalar
