Government Sets a Record Foodgrains Target of 291 Million Tonnes for 2019-20

India has set a record foodgrains target of 291.1 million tonnes or mt for the year 2019-20, which is nearly 2.6% more than the preceding year’s 283.7 mt, as a favourable monsoon is expected in the current season.

Agricultural Ministry sources at the National Kharif Campaign conference on 25 April 2019 said that the target fixed for rice is 116 million tonnes or mt, 3 mt more than it was in 2018-19 and wheat production target is set at 100.5 mt that is slightly higher than the previous year’s 100 million tonnes.

However, according to the second advance estimates for 2018-19, output of rice is estimated to be 115.6 mt and that of wheat is 99.12 mt.

The Centre, on the other hand, is hoping to have a considerable 10 % increase in production of pulses at 26.3 million tonnes, as against the target of 24 mt last year.

The target fixed for coarse cereals is 48.3 million tonnes as against 46.7 mt in the previous year.

Oilseeds output, however are expected to be 36.1 million tonnes (36 mt in 2018-19). So is with cotton, whose tentative target for 2019-20 is 35.75 million bales of 170 kg each, slightly higher than 35.5 million bales in 2018-19.

But, as per the 2nd advance estimates, the expected oilseeds production in 2018-19 was 31.5 mt and that of cotton was 30 million bales.

The targeted sugarcane output, on the other hand, is 385.5 million tonnes, almost 30 mt more than the previous year, but just 5 mt more than that was projected in the 2018-19 2nd advance estimates.

Target for maize in the current year is 28.9 mt and that for bajra & jowar are 9.5 mt and 4.9 mt in that order.