India’s rice production for 2024-25 is likely to be a record as farmers have expandedd the acreage under paddy in the ongoing kharif cropping season, while widespread monsoon has led to higher reservoir levels raising the prospects for the rabi season.

According to the US Department of Agriculture’s latest World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE), “India’s 2024-25 rice production is raised 1 million tonnes to a record 139 million tonnes on higher-than-expected harvested area for the kharif crop, especially in the eastern States that have received better monsoon rainfall than the previous year.”

India’s rice production was a record 136.7 million tonnes during 2023-24 as per the third advance estimates released by the Agriculture Ministry in early June, a marginal increase over previous year’s 135.7 million tonnes.

In the ongoing kharif cropping season, farmers have expanded the rice acreages by 4 per cent to over 409.50 lakh hectares (lh) over 393.57 lh a year ago. Rice planting will still go till the end of September. The planted rice area, so far, is higher than the normal area (average of five year from 2018-19 to 2022-23) of 401.55 lh.

No damage reported

States that have registered an increase in rice area, so far, include Andhra Pradesh at 10.68 lh (10.55 lh in the previous year), Bihar at 36.72 lh (35.33 lh), Chhattisgarh at 39.01 ha (37.88 lh), Gujarat at 8.82 lh (8.69 lh), Haryana at 16.44 lh (15.20 lh), Jharkhand at 15.43 lh (9.58 lh), Madhya Pradesh at 34.96 lh (33.85 lh), Maharashtra at 14.56 lh (14.95 lh) Karnataka at 8.37 lh (5.77 lh), Punjab at 32.40 lh (31.79 lh), Uttar Pradesh at 62.61 lh (58.99 lh) and West Bengal at 41.48 lh (39.07 lh).

Among the States, where the paddy area is trailing are Telangana at 19.54 lh (20.36 lh) and Odisha at 30.33 lh (32.31 lh).

“Definitely the crop is going to be very big this year. Not only the kharif crop looks good, but the prospects for the rabi crop are also bright as water is assured with most of the reservoirs in the South are at their full capacities due to the September rains. Keeping the big crop in mind, the Government should remove the duty on par-boiled rice exports and also open up the white rice exports,” said B V Krishna Rao, President, The Rice Exporters Association.

“The overall rice crop is going to be good as there has been area increase in states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and even in the South. No major damage has been reported despite some states receiving excess rains,” said Rahul Chauhan of Igrain India.

Recently, Satish Goel, President, All India Rice Exporters Association told businessline that the basmati crop was looking good with farmers increasing the area on good rains and that the crop size would be higher by a minimum of 15-20 per cent.