Rice Production to See Decline of 3.7% in Kharif Season Due to Uneven Monsoon Distribution

In the advance estimates of major kharif crops for 2023-24, released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, India's rice production has been reported at 1,063.13 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), which is a 3.7% decrease from the previous year's figure of 1,105.12 LMT during the same season. This estimated production figure also falls short of the 1,110.01 LMT record in 2021-2022.

The decline in rice production is attributed to the uneven distribution of monsoon rain despite an increase in the area dedicated to paddy production. The Ministry disclosed that the area for rice production in the kharif season of 2023 increased to 411 lakh hectares, up from 404.27 lakh hectares in 2022.

The Agriculture Ministry has stated that these estimations are based on data provided by states and validated using various sources, including reports from the Crop Weather Watch Group (CWWG), remote sensing estimates, econometric modelling, farmer surveys, and historical crop estimation trends. The statement noted that these preliminary estimates are derived from the average yield of the last three years and are subject to change after receiving yield estimates based on actual crop-cutting experiments.

“For 2023-24, production of kharif nutri/coarse cereals is estimated at 351.37 LMT, which is slightly higher than the average coarse cereals production of 350.91 LMT. The production of Shree Anna is estimated at 126.55 LMT during 2023-24,” read the statement.

“The production of tur dal is estimated at 34.21 LMT, which is approximately similar to last year’s production. Further, the area for urad dal is estimated at 30.73 lakh hectares which is approximately similar to last year’s area of 30.98 lakh hectares. However, the total production of kharif pulses for 2023-24 is estimated to be lower than the previous year due to climatic conditions. Total production of kharif pulses during 2023-24 is estimated at 71.18 LMT. Total production of sugarcane is estimated at 4,347.93 LMT which is higher than average sugarcane production of 4,222.55 LMT,” the statement added.

It should be noted that India imposed restrictions on the export of non-basmati white rice in July due to depleting public foodgrain stocks in the Central pool, elevated cereal prices, and concerns about uneven monsoons affecting paddy crops during the ongoing kharif season. The government had previously banned wheat exports in May 2022 and imposed a 20% export duty on all non-basmati rice except parboiled rice on September 8, 2022. Broken rice exports were banned on September 9, 2022.