New Delhi, August 17India’s wheat production is projected to have reduced by nearly 3 per cent to 1,068.4 lakh metric tonne (LMT), while the overall foodgrain production is estimated to have touched a record 3,157.2 LMT in the 2021-22 crop year.At 3,157.2 LMT, the estimated production is up by 49.8 LMT compared with the output in 2020-21. However, wheat production has been affected by heatwave, which resulted in shrivelled grains in Punjab and Haryana.Releasing the fourth advance estimate for the year, the Agriculture Ministry also predicted record output for rice, maize, gram, pulses, rapeseed and mustard, oilseeds and sugarcane.Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said record production of so many crops was the result of the government’s farmer-friendly policies, hard work of farmers and the diligence of the scientists.In 2020-21, the country’s foodgrain output, comprising wheat, rice, pulses and coarse cereals, stood at record 3,107.4 LMT. The ministry said the output of coarse cereals was likely to decline to 509 LMT from 513.2 LMT. Pulses output is estimated to be at record 276.9 LMT compared with 254.6 LMT in 2020-21.In the non-foodgrain category, oilseeds are projected at a record 376.9 LMT in 2021-22 against 359.4 LMT in the previous year.Rapeseed/mustard seed production is pegged at record 177.4 LMT for the 2021-22 crop year. According to the data, sugarcane production is estimated at record 4,318 LMT compared with 4,053.9 LMT in the previous year, while cotton output is expected to drop to 312 lakh bales (170 kg each) from 352.4 lakh bales.
