India’s 2024-25 Kharif output at record 164.7 million tonnes; rice at all-time high, pulses lower than average
India’s rice production for the 2024-25 Kharif season is expected to reach a record 120 million tonnes (MT), the highest in the last 11 years, driven by favorable monsoon rainfall. This marks a 5.8% increase from the previous year. However, Kharif pulses production dropped to 7 million tonnes, the lowest in nine years, mainly due to reduced urad production. Overall, Kharif foodgrains output is projected at a record 164.7 MT, up 8.9 MT from last year.
Rice production in the 2024-25 Kharif season was estimated to hit a record high of around 120 million tonnes (MT), highest in the last 11 years, according to data from the First Advance Estimate of Production of Food Grains released on November 5, 2024.
The production of paddy, the main Kharif crop, was 5.8 per cent higher than last year’s. It was boosted by above normal rainfall on average during the southwest monsoon season.
Meanwhile, production of Kharif pulses, at around 7 MT was the lowest in nine years, data released by the Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare showed.
Overall, the output of Kharif foodgrains was projected at a record 164.7 MT, higher by 8.9 MT compared to the previous year and 12.4 MT higher than average Kharif foodgrain production.
For the first time, the ministry utilised data from the Digital Crop Survey (DCS). The DCS is being conducted under the Digital Agriculture Mission, in collaboration with state governments, to prepare robust crop area estimates. This survey was envisaged to replace the manual Girdawari system.
DCS-based crop area estimation was done for Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Odisha where 100 per cent districts were covered in Kharif 2024. This has led to a substantial rise in the area under rice, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, according to the ministry.
The record production was majorly due to increase in production of rice, jowar (sorghum), and maize.
However, crops like pulses and millets showed a declining trend when compared to the last few years.
Total pulses production in Kharif 2024-25 was projected to be 6.9 MT. While this was marginally lower than last year’s production, the 2024-25 figures were lower than the average production (between 2014-15 and 2024-25) of 7.6 MT and also lowest in the last nine years.
The 2024-25 Kharif pulses decline was majorly due to a drop in urad (black gram) production which fell sharply from 1.6 MT in 2023-24 to 1.2 MT in 2024-25, a 25 per cent decrease.
Meanwhile, production of moong or green gram (1.3 MT) was projected to be 0.2 MT more than last year’s but it was still less than the average production (between 2014-15 and 2024-25) of 1.4 MT.
The main reasons for the decline in pulses production was low acreage and excessive rains in producing regions. Among Kharif pulses, only production of tur or pigeon pea was above average production figures.
Among non-foodgrains, oilseeds production was estimated to be 6.5 per cent higher than last year’s. On the other hand, crops like sugarcane, cotton, and jute recorded declines.
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