Government raises food grain output forecast to 284.83 mt


New Delhi : India’s foodgrain production is estimated to grow to an all-time high of 284.83 million tonnes in the 2017-18 crop year ending June, driven by record output in wheat, rice, coarse cereals and pulses after a normal monsoon, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

The previous record foodgrain output was 275.11 mt achieved in the 2016-17 crop year. The foodgrain basket comprises of rice, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses. In its fourth advance estimate released on Tuesday, the ministry revised upward the total foodgrain production by 5.3 million tonnes from the previous projection of 279.51 million tonnes for the 2017-18 crop year. Wheat output has been pegged at record 99.70 million tonnes.