The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has unveiled the First Advance Estimates for the production of major Kharif crops for the year 2023-24. A press release on these estimates was issued on 27th October, 2023.
These preliminary estimates, which play a crucial role in understanding the agricultural landscape of the country, are based on data supplied by various states, meticulously validated using an array of alternative sources. These sources encompass reports from the Crop Weather Watch Group (CWWG), Remote Sensing assessments, econometric modeling, insights collected from farmer surveys, and historical trends in crop estimation.
As per the First Advance Estimates, the projected production of major Kharif crops for the upcoming season is as follows:
Foodgrains – 1485.69 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT)
- Rice – 1063.13 Lakh Metric Tonnes
- Maize – 224.82 Lakh Metric Tonnes
- Tur – 34.21 Lakh Metric Tonnes
- Moong – 14.05 Lakh Metric Tonnes
- Urad – 15.05 Lakh Metric Tonnes
Oilseeds – 215.33 Lakh Metric Tonnes
- Groundnut – 78.29 Lakh Metric Tonnes
- Soybean – 115.28 Lakh Metric Tonnes
Sugarcane – 4347.93 Lakh Metric Tonnes
Cotton – 316.57 Lakh bales (of 170 kg each)
Jute & Mesta – 91.91 Lakh bales (of 180 kg each)
Notably, the area under rice cultivation, a major Kharif crop, is estimated to be approximately 2 Lakh Hectares more than the previous year’s final estimate and around 4.5 Lakh Hectares more than the average Rice Area. Furthermore, its production is projected to be about 1 Lakh tonnes higher compared to the average Kharif Rice production.
Other cereal crops, such as Kharif Maize and Jowar, are also estimated to have a higher cultivation area compared to the previous year, as well as the average area under these crops. Kharif Maize production is estimated at 224.82 Lakh Metric Tonnes, reflecting an increase of about 11 Lakh Metric Tonnes compared to the average production.
For the 2023-24 season, the production of Kharif Nutri/coarse cereals is estimated at 351.37 LMT, slightly higher than the average coarse cereals production of 350.91 LMT. The production of Shree Anna is projected to be 126.55 LMT during 2023-24.
The production of Tur is estimated at 34.21 LMT, which is approximately on par with last year’s production. Additionally, the area under Urad is estimated at 30.73 lakh hectares, which is similar to the previous year’s area of 30.98 lakh hectares. However, the total Kharif pulses production for 2023-24 is anticipated to be lower than the previous year due to climatic conditions, with an estimated total production of 71.18 LMT.
The total production of sugarcane is estimated at 4347.93 LMT, which surpasses the average sugarcane production of 4222.55 LMT.
It is crucial to bear in mind that these initial production assessments for the 2023-24 Kharif season are primarily based on the average yield of the last three years and may undergo adjustments after receiving yield estimates based on actual crop cutting experiments.
