Rabi season foodgrain production target set at 1645.50 lakh tonnes for 2024-25 season

15-Nov-2024 12:48 PM

The Union Agriculture Ministry has set a target of producing 3,415.50 lakh tonnes of foodgrains for the entire 2024-25 marketing season, with the Rabi season's share at 1,645.50 lakh tonnes, which is just over 48% of the total. This includes the production targets for wheat, coarse grains, rice, and pulses.

In the Rabi season, the production of coarse grains and rice is generally lower than in the Kharif season, while the production of pulses tends to be higher. Wheat is the primary food grain of the Rabi season, while rice is the major crop of the Kharif season.

Experts note that the ideal sowing window for wheat in the northwestern plains of India is by 20 November. Sowing after this date tends to result in lower yields. Currently, wheat sowing is in full swing across states like Punjab, Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Delhi, although it's unlikely that sowing will be completed by the 20th of November. Sowing has also begun in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, with sowing expected to start soon in Maharashtra and Bihar.

This year, the government has set a target of 11.50 crore tonnes of wheat. The higher open market prices of wheat, which have been significantly above the government's Minimum Support Price (MSP), are expected to incentivize farmers to increase the area under wheat cultivation.

To further encourage production, the government has raised the MSP for wheat to Rs 2,425 per quintal for the 2024-25 season, up from Rs 2,275 per quintal for the current season.

Additionally, the area for gram cultivation is also expected to rise, especially after a decline in its sowing during the last Rabi season, which was affected by natural disasters.