Record production target of about 1689 lakh tonnes of food grains set for Kharif 2025
09-May-2025 11:05 AM
New Delhi. The Central Government has increased the target of food grain production for the Kharif season of 2025-26 to 1688.80 lakh tonnes, which is 1.5 percent more than the gross production of 2024-25 and represents a new record level. Every effort will be made to achieve this target.
Announcing this, the Union Agriculture Minister said that a 'Vikasit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' will be conducted for a fortnight from 29 May 2025, with the aim of helping about two crore farmers across the country connect more effectively with agricultural research. This is expected to boost productivity and crop yields.
According to the Agriculture Minister, during the upcoming Kharif season, the Ministry of Fertilizers is ensuring the adequate availability of chemical fertilizers across the country so that farmers can access them easily at reasonable prices.
He also advised the Fertilizer Secretary to demonstrate the use of Nano Urea and Nano DAP in the fields to encourage wider adoption by farmers, thereby reducing dependence on traditional fertilizers.
Official figures show that food grain production during the Kharif season of 2024-25 stood at 1663.90 lakh tonnes, while the new target for 2025-26 is 1688.80 lakh tonnes — about 25 lakh tonnes higher.
The target for rice, the most important Kharif crop, has been set at 1207.50 lakh tonnes, slightly above last year's output of 1206.80 lakh tonnes.
Last year, the target for rice production was 1115 lakh tonnes, but actual production exceeded this due to a rise in sowing area.
As for pulses, a tentative production target of 77.40 lakh tonnes has been set, to be revised once the states provide feedback under the Pulses Mission Program.
For the Kharif season of 2025-26, the government aims to produce 37 lakh tonnes of tuvar, 15.10 lakh tonnes of urad, and 16.20 lakh tonnes of moong — all higher than the previous year's production levels. The government's objective is to achieve self-sufficiency in pulse production.
The sowing of Kharif crops will begin next month. With normal rains forecast for the southwest monsoon season, farmers are expected to face fewer difficulties in planting. Special focus will also be placed on increasing maize production among coarse grains.