No hit in kharif output due to inadequate rains: Pawar

Despite inadequate rains in some eastern states, Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is optimistic that there will be no impact on overall kharif food grains output.

"There will be no impact. Overall production would be more than last year. As I said, problem will be on storage", Pawar told reporters last evening when asked if there would be any impact on kharif production due to scant rains in Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of West Bengal.

The Minister's confidence stems from the fact that sans a few eastern states - Bihar, Jharkhand and the southern part of West Bengal - rains have so far been adequate in other parts of the country and as such, the kharif acreage there is also higher compared to the last year.

Till August 5, the total sowing area in the country has gone up by 6.3 million hectares to 82.6 million hectares from 76.2 million hectares in the same period of last year. 

The area under coverage is higher in all major kharif crops including paddy, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane, cotton and coarse cereals.

Farmers have planted paddy in 24.48 million hectres till August 5 compared to 22.57 million hectres a year ago.

So far, 28 out of 38 districts in Bihar have been declared drought-affected, while half of Jharkhand (12 of 24 districts) has received scanty rains.

Bihar and Jharkhand, together produced 12.6 million tonnes of food grains ( rice, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses) in 2009-10, accounting for about 6 per cent of the country's total production.

The Centre has already sent a team to Bihar to gauge the ground situation and is expecting communications from the Jharkhand government to send a team in the state as well. 

However, there is still time to undertake sowing operation during the month if Bihar and Jharkhand get adequate rainfall.

India's food grains production declined to 218.2 million tonnes in 2009-10 crop year (July-June) against a record 234.47 million tonnes in the previous year, owing to severe drought that affected half of the country.