Oilseed output may drop 17%

The third advance estimates of crop production for 2006-07 presented by the Union Agriculture Minister estimates the total oilseeds production at 23.26 million tonne, a decline of 17 per cent from the final estimates for the last season at 27.98 million tonne.

Oilseeds production during the kharif season is likely to decline by 17.2 per cent to 13.88 million tonne, while that in the rabi season is projected to decline by 16.3 per cent to 9.38 million tonne.

Similarly, the pulses production is estimated to rise by 5.3 per cent to 14.10 million tonne this year as compared with 13.39 million tonne last year. Although, the government estimates a 0.8 per cent decline in pulses' output during the kharif season at 4.83 million tonne, the rabi season is likely to witness a bumper output with a growth of 8.8 per cent to 9.27 million tonne from 8.52 million tonne last year.

Total tur output during the kharif season is estimated to decline by 8.3 per cent to 2.51 million tonne, while gram output is slated to go up by 6.6 per cent to 5.97 million tonne from 5.60 million tonne.

Total foodgrains production is estimated to jump marginally by 1.5 per cent to 211.78 million tonne from 208.60 million tonne last year. There is expected to be a 0.8 per cent decline in total rice production at 91.05 million tonne as compared with 91.79 million tonne. The advance estimates project the wheat output to grow by 6.3 per cent to 73.70 million tonne this season as against 69.35 million tonne last year. The output of coarse cereals, however, is projected to decline by 3.3 per cent to 32.92 million tonne from 34.06 million tonne last year.

The production of groundnut among major oilseeds is projected to decline heavily by 46.8 per cent during the kharif season to 3.35 million tonne this season from 6.30 million tonne last season, while the output in rabi season is likely to slump marginally by 3.6 per cent to 1.63 million tonne.

The ministry was upbeat on the output of soybean, sugarcane, cotton, jute and mesta with an estimated production rise of 4.8 per cent, 14.9 per cent, 13.7 per cent, 3.6 per cent and 17.2 per cent to 8.67 million tonne (kharif season), 322.94 million tonne, 21.04 million tonne, 10.33 million tonne and 1.02 million tonne, respectively.

All state governments also put forward their roadmap for achieving 4 per cent growth in agriculture and allied sectors.