Foodgrain production target set for Rabi season
17-Sep-2025 05:11 PM
New Delhi. The central government has set a foodgrain production target of 171.14 million tons for the 2025-26 Rabi season, which includes production targets for wheat, coarse grains, and pulses. The wheat production target is 119 million tons, and the gram production target is 118 million tons.
A mustard production target of approximately 14 million tons has also been set. The Union Agriculture Ministry has set a total foodgrain production target of 362.5 million tons for the entire 2025-26 marketing season.
According to the Union Agriculture Minister, the crop production target for the upcoming Rabi season has been set somewhat lower, and with the active cooperation of the states through the developed Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, achieving this target will not be difficult.
According to the Agriculture Minister, based on the production area, the Rabi season is expected to require 22.9 million tons of seeds, while the total availability is around 25 million tons. This will make it easier to meet the demand among farmers for various Rabi crops at the national level.
However, the Agriculture Minister declined to provide any information on the demand and availability of chemical fertilizers, stating that discussions with the states are ongoing. Meanwhile, the states have urged the central government to ensure adequate supply and availability of fertilizers during the Rabi season so that farmers do not face any difficulties in sowing other crops, including wheat.
Wheat, gram, and mustard are cultivated extensively during the Rabi season. In addition, lentils, peas, barley, and flax are also key Rabi crops, while mung beans, black gram, peanuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, maize, and sorghum are sown during both the Rabi and Kharif seasons.
On top of this, heavy rains from the southwest monsoon have caused damage to Kharif crops in some states, making it difficult for the production of cereals, pulses, oilseeds and guar-cotton to reach the target.