Wheat output seen rising a little over 7 mt in FY16

Govt procurement target fixed at 30 mt in 2016-17, a bit more than in ongoing season; rice buying would be 35 mt

Despite rough weather, wheat output would rise a little over seven million tonnes (mt) in 2015-16, enabling an increase in overall foodgrain production of one mt over the previous year, official advance estimates showed on Monday.

Production of wheat is estimated at 94 mt, from 86 mt in 2014-15. Total foodgrain output in 2014-15 is estimated at 253 mt, from 252 mt, "despite a setback to kharif crops due to deficient monsoon rains and to rabi crops due to shortage of water in reservoirs and a warmer winter," the government said.

Kharif is autumn crop sown at the beginning of the summer rains. Rabi is the grain crop sown in September and reaped in the spring.
 

Rice output is estimated at 103.6 mt in 2015-16, lower two mt from 105 mt in 2014-15.

The government says it has fixed wheat procurement at 30 mt for 2016-17 (April-March), a bit up from 28 mt for 2015-16. The target was fixed at a meeting with state food secretaries in New Delhi on Monday.

Of the 2016-17 wheat target, Punjab is to contribute 11 mt, Haryana 6.5 mt, Madhya Pradesh 6.8 mt, Uttar Pradesh three mt and Rajasthan 1.8 mt. Though the wheat marketing year runs from April to next year’s March, the bulk of procurement is done in the first three months.

The government also fixed a target for rice procurement in the 2015-16 marketing year (October to September) at 35 mt — five mt from the rabi crop and 30 mt from kharif.

Procurement of kharif rice has reached 26 mt so far this year, much higher than the 21 mt a year ago.

Total production of coarse cereals is estimated at 38.4 mt in 2015-16, from 42.86 mt in 2014-15. That of pulses is 17.33 mt, marginally up from the previous year’s 17.15 mt. Which means not much relief from the high price inflation in pulses.

Oilseeds production in 2015-16 is estimated at 26.34 mt, lower by 1.17 mt than in the previous year. That of sugarcane is estimated at 346.39 mt, lower by nearly 16 mt than the production in 2014-15.

Cotton estimated figure is 30.69 million bales (of 170 kg each), from 34.81 mn in 2014-15. Jute's production is pegged at 9.89 mn bales (of 180 kg each), from 10.62 mn in 2014-15.