by PressIndia’s agricultural production reaches record highs
Production of agricultural products should grow significantly: forecast
Despite the fact that the situation with coronavirus in India has been deteriorating for several months, experts expect that agricultural production in the current season will reach record levels.
Several factors are prerequisites for this forecast. The first one was the active work of local farmers, who, despite the quarantine restrictions, continued their activities. The second important point was the map of the pandemic spread. The fact is that the coronavirus outbreak primarily affected cities, virtually bypassing the countryside. This resulted in all sectors of the economy showing a decline of more than 25%, in contrast to agriculture. The latter showed an increase in results of 3.4%.
Another important factor is weather conditions. According to the forecast of meteorologists, during the rainy season from June to September the country should receive 98% of precipitation. This figure is fully in line with normal values for this period of the year — 94-106%, even taking into account the fact that a number of agricultural regions are located in arid zones.
The production expansion plan was first presented at the end of April. According to India’s agricultural development strategy for the 2021/2022 season, production of food grains should reach 307 million tons. This figure will exceed by 5.08 million tons the harvest of the previous period.
The Ministry of Agriculture emphasizes that to date, the country has recorded a sufficient amount of seed for most crops, except for soybeans and corn. Also, India has purchased a large amount of fertilizers and substances for the treatment of crops, and the equipment has been brought up to date. In addition, if necessary, farmers will be able to use national seed stocks as a reserve.
As for fertilizers, the demand for fertilizers is projected to increase this season. It is expected to increase to 35 million tons, which is by 3 million more than in the previous period. There is no shortage of these substances.
As part of the strategy for the development of agriculture from the line ministry also includes the distribution of kits to local farmers, which contain seeds of several oilseeds, including soybeans. The initiative aims to promote the cultivation of this group of crops, especially high-yielding soybeans and peanuts.
Last summer in India oilseeds were grown on about 208 thousand hectares and in winter on 80 thousand hectares. The Ministry intends to significantly increase the farmland for oilseeds in order to reduce dependence on imports, primarily in the segment of edible oils.