Govt sets foodgrain production target for 2025-26 at 354.64 mn tonnes

India is targeting 354.64 million tonnes of foodgrain production in the 2025-26 crop year starting July on the forecast of better monsoon rains, a senior government official said on Thursday.

In the current 2024-25 crop year (July-June), the government had set a target of 341.55 million tonnes of foodgrain production. Foodgrains include paddy, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses.

Already, the country's foodgrain production has reached 330.92 million tonnes in the Kharif and rabi seasons of the current 2024-25 crop year. The production estimates for summer (zaid) sowing are yet to be released.

The foodgrain production in the summer season (zaid), sown between February and June which is between rabi harvest and kharif sowing season, stood at 16.5 million tonnes in 2023-24.

Among foodgrains, the government has set a target of 147.35 million tonnes of rice production for 2025-26 crop year. Paddy is grown in all three seasons.

The country is estimated to have produced 136.44 million tonnes in kharif and rabi seasons of 2024-25 and the number will go up once the estimates for summer (zaid) season are released.

For wheat, which is grown only in rabi (winter) season, the production target has been set at 117.40 million tonnes for the next crop year as against the estimated total production of 115.43 million tonnes in the current 2024-25 crop year, the official said.