Record 263 mn tonnes foodgrain yield likely: Pawar

Foodgrain production is likely to touch a new high of 263.2 million tonnes this year, more than the record 259 million tonnes achieved two years ago, union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said here Sunday.

"The country is likely to achieve record 263.2 million tonnes foodgrain production this year. This would be about 4 MT higher than the record of 259 million tonnes achieved two years ago," Pawar said here at the agricultural exposition, Krishi Vasant, that was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee.

India has emerged as the world's top rice exporter, the second largest exporter of wheat and cotton, as well as the top producer of milk and horticultural crops, Pawar said.

A good monsoon has improved prospects of a better foodgrain production this year. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has projected a 4.6 percent growth in agriculture and allied sectors for the current fiscal, up from 1.4 percent a year earlier.

The five-day agriculture exposition, the biggest in the country so far, has been organised jointly by the union agriculture ministry, the Maharashtra state and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

It also showcases the history of agricultural research accomplished in the past 100 years by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, an official statement said.

Nearly half a million farmers are expected to attend the event.