Rice output in kharif season to cross 90 mn tonne: Rawat

The rice crop in the ensuing kharif season (2011-12) is expected to surpass 90 million tonnes, Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat today said.

"The crops prospects are very bright, already we have had a record rabi crop and wheat has touched 84 million tonnes," Rawat told reporters here.

Speaking on the on the sidelines of the mayor's conference on the meat and poultry sector, Rawat said "monsoon this time is normal so far. Already Kerala and the southern parts of the country are witnessing good rain and we hope the northern areas will have sufficient rain, too".

"We are expecting the rice crop in the kharif season this time to surpass 90 million tonnes due to an expected normal monsoon, efforts of the farmers and the policies of the government," he said.

Rice is grown in both the kharif and rabi seasons but a major part of the output comes from the kharif season.

Kharif sowing begins with the start of the South-West monsoon in June and harvesting starts from October.

According to the Agriculture Ministry's third advance estimate, rice production in the Kharif 2010-11 season is expected at 80.38 million tonnes, while the total output in the 2010-11 season is expected at 94.11 million tonnes.

The meat and poultry is as important as the food grains sector, Rawat said adding, "Our population is largely nutrition deficient and meat and poultry can provide good nutrients".

He said India is among the largest producers of buffalo meat with a production level of around 1.9 million tonnes, of which about 21% is exported to Malaysia, Egypt and Middle East.

"Our meat and poultry products sector is growing at around 30%annually but the growth in the value added products segment is a cause of worry," he said.

The growth in the meat sector is also not as expected due to high input costs, he pointed out.