Page 4 - Kharif Season

Rice production likely to drop 6.7 mn tonnes this kharif, lowest in 2 yrs

This will be the lowest output in two years, according to first estimate

Lower Kharif sowing calls for deft management of foodgrain: FinMin report

A Finance Ministry report on Saturday underlined the need for deft management of stocks of agriculture commodities in view of lower crop-sowing for the Kharif Season, stressing there should be no room for complacency on the inflation front. Overall, inflationary pressures in India appear to be on a decline with a pre-emptive set of administrative measures by the government, agile monetary policy and easing of international commodity prices and supply-chain bottlenecks, according to the monthly Economic Review released by the Finance Ministry. However, it said, there is no "room for complacency on the inflation front as lower crop-sowing for the Kharif season calls for deft management of stocks of agricultural commodities and market prices without unduly jeopardising farm exports." India's rice production could fall by 10-12 million tonnes during the Kharif season this year due to a fall in paddy sowing area, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey had said earlier this month. The Kharif ..

Rice prices soften in domestic markets after ban; exports may shrink by 25%

India, which commands 40% share in the global rice trade, exported 21.23 mt of rice in 2021-22, against 17.78 mt in the previous year

Retail inflation rises to 7% in Aug as food prices surge; IIP growth slows

FinMin blames adverse base effect, increase in food and fuel prices

Best of BS Opinion: Unnecessary restrictions, lending transparency & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for Monday

Kharif acreage nears last year's level, except for paddy and pulses

The Centre has clamped export curbs on several paddy varieties as it feels that total production might drop by 10-12 million tonnes due to delayed sowing.

Rice production may fall by 10-12 mn tonne in Kharif season: Food Secretary

India's rice production could fall by 10-12 million tonnes during the Kharif season of this year, due to a fall in paddy sowing area, the government said on Friday. However, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey asserted that the country will have surplus production in rice. He pointed out that the paddy acreage is lower by 38 lakh hectare so far this kharif season, because of less rains in many states. The Kharif season contributes about 80 per cent of India's total rice production. "Loss of production of rice may be 10 million tonnes and in the worst case it can be 12 million tonnes this year," he told reporters here. However, the secretary said that this is an initial estimate based on drop in acreage and average yield. Pandey said the fall in production could be less as yield might improve in states where rains have been good. Total production of Rice during the 2021-22 crop year (July-June) is estimated at a record 130.29 million tonnes. It is higher by 13.85 million tonnes than

Paddy sown in just around 50% of normal area in Jharkhand till Sep 2

Most parts of India were likely to get normal to above normal rainfall in September, says IMD

Paddy sowing over in 97% normal area till Sept 2, cloud over final output

For all the kharif crops, the acreage, as on September 2, was around 106.92 mha - just 1.27% lower than last year

Paddy acreage deficit goes down from 15% to 6% in a span of 14 days

The saving grace is that unlike wheat, rice stocks in the central pool are much higher than required

After wheat, retail price of rice rises 6.31% on supply concerns: Govt data

After wheat, rice prices are firming up on reports of supply concerns with the all India average retail price of the grain ruling higher by 6.31 per cent at Rs 37.7 per kg compared to the year-ago period, according to an official data. The All India average retail price of wheat has risen by over 22 per cent to Rs 31.04 per kg as of August 22 compared to Rs 25.41 per kg in the year-ago period, according to the data maintained by the Consumer Affairs Ministry. The average retail price of wheat flour (atta) has increased by over 17 per cent to Rs 35.17 per kg as against Rs 30.04 per kg in the year-ago period, the data showed. The rising trend in the retail price of rice is due to reports of likely drop in the country's production in view of 8.25 per cent lag in paddy sowing till last week in the ongoing kharif (summer) season. Considering the current lag in the paddy coverage, experts said the country's total rice production is likely to be lower than the set target of 112 million to

Punjab expects low cotton production at 800,000 bales this season

Punjab is expecting a cotton output of around 8 lakh bales in the current Kharif season due to lower acreage and damage to the crop due to rains. The cotton output had dropped sharply to 6.45 lakh bales in the last 2021-22 season due to the pink bollworm insect attack against more than 10 lakh bales in the previous year. The current season production would be nearly 35 per cent lower than that in 2018-19. Lesser area under cotton along with damage to the crop by rains and whitefly pest attack are being seen as the main reasons behind the expected decline in the overall yield. Punjab could bring only 2.48 lakh hectares under cotton crop as against the target of 4 lakh hectares in cotton-growing areas of Bathinda, Muktsar, Mansa, Fazilka, Sangrur, Moga and Faridkot in the Kharif sowing season. During the time of sowing which is mid of April till May, farmers in several cotton-growing areas could not get sufficient canal water for sowing of the crop as there was a breach in the Sirhi

Cereal inflation likely to offset disinflationary forces, say experts

There is a possibility of a 10-15-million tonne drop in kharif rice production due to drought in several major growing states in eastern India

Monsoon woes: Is India staring at higher food price-led inflation?

However, if monsoon progress in August and is geographically more even, Nomura believes Kharif sowing could still pick up going ahead, which in turn could keep food prices and inflation under check.

'Deficit in paddy coverage to be recovered with monsoon progressing fast'

Agriculture commissioner A K Singh has said there is a slight deficit in paddy coverage in the ongoing kharif season mainly in eastern India, but it will be recovered with monsoon progressing fast. In the southern region, paddy has been planted in a significant area buoyed by good and well-distributed rainfall. In Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh too, there is no cause of concern as of now as the sowing is normally undertaken much in advance with the help of tubewell irrigation, he said. The government has not released the latest data of paddy sowing, but the data available till July 17 showed all-India paddy coverage to be down by 17.4 per cent at 128.50 lakh hectare so far this kharif season as against 155.53 lakh hectare in the corresponding period of the previous year. The sowing of kharif crops begins with the onset of the southwest monsoon in June. Paddy is a major kharif crop. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has projected a normal southwest monsoon this ...

Overall kharif sowing improves even as paddy and arhar remain muted

Experts say a fall in paddy output could hugely impact cereal prices going forward as wheat stocks in central pool aren't enough to quell any surge in prices

Chhattisgarh pegs this season's grain output at 10 million tonnes

The state produced 10.39 mt of foodgrain in the last kharif season

Kharif sowing picks up as rains revive, cotton and pulses gain most

Official data showed that among major kharif crops, acreage of pulses was almost 7 per cent more than last year

Robust credit growth continues, small and mid-size businesses gain

RBI data showed that credit to industry grew 8.7 per cent in May

Big agrochem firms may use drones for chemical spraying this kharif season

Industry sources estimate that drones could be used for spraying pesticides and other plant chemicals in around 30,000 acres this kharif season largely as pilot projects