Govt cuts foodgrains output estimates by 4.14%

The latest crop production estimates for 2004-05, released by the agriculture ministry today, put the foodgrains output at 204.61 million tonne, around 8.85 million tonneor 4.14 per cent below the previous year's record output of 213.46 million tonne.

The shortfall was due to lower output in the kharif season because of poor monsoons. However, the production of rabi crops was more than the previous season's.

Among the commercial crops, production of oilseeds and cotton increased substantially in 2004-05. However, production of pulses, jute and mesta and sugarcane dropped from previous year's levels. Cotton output rose by a whopping 22.6 per cent, touching a record 17 million bales (of 170 kg each) in 2004-05, against 13.86 million bales in the previous year.

The figures released today by the agriculture ministry are the fourth estimates and vary considerably from the previous estimates.

The total foodgrains production was reckoned at 206.39 million tonne in the second set of estimates released in January but was subsequently scaled up substantially to 210.44 million tonne in the third estimates released in March. But the final estimates for the years will be released later in the year.

According to the fourth estimate, the kharif foodgrains output in 2004-05 was predicted to fall 11.6 per cent to 103.32 million tonne from 116.88 million tonne in the last season. The rabi output, however, was projected to grow by 4.87 per cent to 101.29 million tonne from previous season's 96.58 million tonne.

The production of rice has been pegged at at 85.31 million tonne, down 3.3 per cent from 88.26 million tonnes in 2003-04. But the production of wheat, estimated at 72 million tonnes, is almost the same as in the previous year.

Coarse cereals, grown primarily in the rainfed areas, fell over four million tonne or 11 per cent in 2004-05to 33.92 million tonne.

The production of pulses also fell sharply by about 10 per cent to 13.38 million tonne from the previous year's 14.94 million tonne. But the output of oilseeds rose by 3.2 per cent, from 25.29 million tonne las t year to 26.10 million tonne in 2004-05.

Jute and mesta output fell by 6.5 per cent to 10.48 million bales (of 180 kg each) from 11.22 million bales previous year. Sugarcane production in 2004-05 is estimated to go down five million or about two per cent to 232.3 million tonne from 237.3 million tonne in 2003-04.