India is estimated to record 12.36 million tonnes less food-grain production in 2014-15 crop year (July-June) as compared to 2013-14 when the country had reported highest ever food-grain production of 265.04 million tonnes.
The decline in food-grain production is attributed to deficit monsoon of last year that had affected the Kharif crops of 2014 and unseasonal rains and hailstorms of February-March this year which damaged the standing Rabi crops in as many as 14 states.
Government's fourth advance estimate of food-grain production for the crop year 2014-15, released on Monday, shows that the country will report the overall food-grain production of 252.68 million tonnes (MT) as compared to 265.04 MT of food-grain production during 2013-14.
It also shows that all farm produce except sugarcane recorded decline in production in 2014-15 as compared to 2013-14 which was the best year in terms of food-grain production due to normal Monsoon.
India had last year recorded 12% deficit of Monsoon rainfall, making the year 2014 technically a drought year. Generally deficit rainfall of 10% or more during the Monsoon season (June-September) in a particular year is considered as a drought year.
"As a result of setback in Kharif as well as Rabi seasons, the production of most of the crops in the country has declined during 2014-15," said the agriculture ministry while releasing the data of fourth advance estimates for the year 2014-15.
Fourth advance estimates are released ever year in July-August as fully firmed up data on area as well as yield of Kharif crops and Rabi crops are expected to be available with the states by this time. As such, fourth advance estimates are considered to be almost as good as 'Final Estimates', released in next February.
As per 4th Advance Estimates for 2014-15, total production of rice is estimated at 104.80 MT which is lower by 1.85 MT than the last year's record production of 106.65 MT. Production of wheat, estimated at 88.94 MT, is lower by 6.91 MT than the record production of 95.85 million tonnes achieved during 2013-14.
Total production of Coarse Cereals, estimated at 41.75 million tonnes, is also lower by 1.54 million tonnes than their production during 2013-14.
Similarly, production of pulses estimated at 17.20 MT is lower by 2.05 MT than their production during the last year (2013-14). With a decrease of 6.07 million tonnes over the last year, total production of oilseeds in the country is estimated at 26.68 MT.
Production of sugarcane, estimated at 359.33 MT, is however higher by 7.19 MT as compared to last year. Total production of cotton estimated at 35.48 million bales (of 170 kg each) is marginally lower than last year but higher by 3.01 million bales than the average production of last 5 years.
Production of jute & mesta is estimated at 11.45 million bales (of 180 kg each) which is marginally lower than their production during the last year.
In an agricultural year (July-June), the ministry of agriculture releases four 'Advance Estimates' followed by 'Final Estimates' of production of major agricultural crops of the country.
First Advance Estimates, released in September when Kharif sowing is generally over, cover only Kharif crops. Second Advance Estimates are released in February the next year when Rabi sowing is also over.
These estimates, covering Kharif as well as Rabi crops, take into account firmed up figures on Kharif area coverage along with available data on crop cutting experiments for yield assessment of Kharif crops and tentative figures on area coverage of Rabi crops.
Third Advance Estimates, incorporating revised data on area coverage for Rabi crops and better yield estimates of Kharif crops, are released in April-May.
"In order to allow sufficient time to states to take into account even the delayed information while finalizing area and yield estimates of various crops, the 'Final Estimates' are released about seven months after the fourth Advance Estimates and no revision in the state level data is accepted after release of Final Estimates by the department of economics and statistics", said the ministry.
The decline in food-grain production is attributed to deficit monsoon of last year that had affected the Kharif crops of 2014 and unseasonal rains and hailstorms of February-March this year which damaged the standing Rabi crops in as many as 14 states.
Government's fourth advance estimate of food-grain production for the crop year 2014-15, released on Monday, shows that the country will report the overall food-grain production of 252.68 million tonnes (MT) as compared to 265.04 MT of food-grain production during 2013-14.
It also shows that all farm produce except sugarcane recorded decline in production in 2014-15 as compared to 2013-14 which was the best year in terms of food-grain production due to normal Monsoon.
India had last year recorded 12% deficit of Monsoon rainfall, making the year 2014 technically a drought year. Generally deficit rainfall of 10% or more during the Monsoon season (June-September) in a particular year is considered as a drought year.
"As a result of setback in Kharif as well as Rabi seasons, the production of most of the crops in the country has declined during 2014-15," said the agriculture ministry while releasing the data of fourth advance estimates for the year 2014-15.
Fourth advance estimates are released ever year in July-August as fully firmed up data on area as well as yield of Kharif crops and Rabi crops are expected to be available with the states by this time. As such, fourth advance estimates are considered to be almost as good as 'Final Estimates', released in next February.
As per 4th Advance Estimates for 2014-15, total production of rice is estimated at 104.80 MT which is lower by 1.85 MT than the last year's record production of 106.65 MT. Production of wheat, estimated at 88.94 MT, is lower by 6.91 MT than the record production of 95.85 million tonnes achieved during 2013-14.
Total production of Coarse Cereals, estimated at 41.75 million tonnes, is also lower by 1.54 million tonnes than their production during 2013-14.
Similarly, production of pulses estimated at 17.20 MT is lower by 2.05 MT than their production during the last year (2013-14). With a decrease of 6.07 million tonnes over the last year, total production of oilseeds in the country is estimated at 26.68 MT.
Production of sugarcane, estimated at 359.33 MT, is however higher by 7.19 MT as compared to last year. Total production of cotton estimated at 35.48 million bales (of 170 kg each) is marginally lower than last year but higher by 3.01 million bales than the average production of last 5 years.
Production of jute & mesta is estimated at 11.45 million bales (of 180 kg each) which is marginally lower than their production during the last year.
In an agricultural year (July-June), the ministry of agriculture releases four 'Advance Estimates' followed by 'Final Estimates' of production of major agricultural crops of the country.
First Advance Estimates, released in September when Kharif sowing is generally over, cover only Kharif crops. Second Advance Estimates are released in February the next year when Rabi sowing is also over.
These estimates, covering Kharif as well as Rabi crops, take into account firmed up figures on Kharif area coverage along with available data on crop cutting experiments for yield assessment of Kharif crops and tentative figures on area coverage of Rabi crops.
Third Advance Estimates, incorporating revised data on area coverage for Rabi crops and better yield estimates of Kharif crops, are released in April-May.
"In order to allow sufficient time to states to take into account even the delayed information while finalizing area and yield estimates of various crops, the 'Final Estimates' are released about seven months after the fourth Advance Estimates and no revision in the state level data is accepted after release of Final Estimates by the department of economics and statistics", said the ministry.
Source : Times of India
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