After an erratic monsoon affected plantings last year, kharif rice output is set to rebound to a record this year. This, in turn, is set to boost exports with a weak rupee aiding the Indian grain’s competitiveness in the global market.
The general consensus among the rice trade, Agriculture Ministry officials and exporters is that the production this kharif would touch a new high, exceeding the record 92.78 million tonnes in 2011. This is despite deficient rainfall affecting transplantation in States such as Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand.
The timely arrival of the South-West Monsoon and the excess precipitation across the country prompted farmers to bring more area under rice, mainly in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The total area under rice is up 3.7 per cent at 365.50 lakh hectares this year against 352.49 lakh hectares during the corresponding period a year ago.
Though flooding in several areas of Andhra Pradesh affected the crop to some extent, officials say that it would be made up by other States. Also, in some of the affected areas replanting has been taken up by farmers, they said. “The crop is definitely better than last year in the State,” an AP Rice Millers’ Association official said.
Until the first week of this month, the country received eight per cent excess rainfall from the monsoon’s influence. Rains which were deficient in the early part of the season in Bihar and Jharkhand revived last week. This should boost transplantation over the next couple of weeks. Also in Orissa, where rice is the only crop planted by farmers, the transplantation can go on till September-end, officials at the Directorate of Rice Research Institute said.
The crop conditions are satisfactory and no major cases of endemic or epidemic disease has been reported so far anywhere in the country.
Officials in the Agriculture Ministry expect the output to be higher than last year, though they are not putting a figure on the actual crop size. In the recent past, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and his deputy Tariq Anwar have expressed confidence that the bounteous monsoon this year would help the country produce record foodgrains, including rice.
A bumper output would help the Government implement the Food Security Programme.
The Government is expected to procure 34.5 million tonnes of rice this year.
The London-based International Grains Council, in its latest estimate, has pegged India’s rice output at 107 million tonnes, up 2.5 per cent from last year. Last year, production, both kharif and rabi seasons, was 104.40 million tonnes, according to the Government’s 4{+t}{+h} Advance Estimates.
Added aroma
Also, in the case of Basmati, the initial field surveys point to a good crop. “The rains have been good and transplanting was done on time. The crop is currently in the flowering stage in some areas. Overall, we expect a higher yield this year,” said Rajen Sundaresan, Executive Director of the All-India Rice Exporters’ Association. Basmati production in 2012 was a little over 7.1 million tonnes. In the current year, the production is expected to be higher by 10-40 per cent.
While basmati exports have taken off on a positive note, non-basmati rice shipments have been sluggish.
According to the Directorate-General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, basmati exports during April-June this year were up 17 per cent at 11.16 lakh tonnes.
In terms of value, shipments were up 67 per cent at Rs 7,756 crore compared with last year.
Non-basmati exports were down by a tenth in volume for the April-June period to 14.16 lakh tonnes against 15.84 lakh tonnes.
In value, the non-basmati rice shipments were estimated at Rs 3314.12 crore against Rs 3365.06 crore.
According to IGC, rice exports this year are estimated at at 8.5 million tonnes, down 5.5 per cent from last year.
> vishwanath.kulkarni@thehindu.co.in
(This is first of the part of series on this year’s kharif crop.)