In the current kharif (summer sowing) season, India's milled rice production is expected to decline by 6% to 98.5 million tonnes (MT), as per the report compiled by United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This decline can be attributed due to late onset of monsoon rains and shortages in irrigation facilities which lead to deficit in key northern and southern growing areas.
The production from the kharif season amounts to 53% of the total annual cereal output and about 88% of the main staple. Of the total agricultural land in the country only 45% is under irrigated condition while the rest is depended upon monsoons, which lasts from June to September and only upon progress of rainfall during the last month of monsoon the crop output for this season will depend.
In many areas of the country particularly in eastern region normal rains were recorded since the beginning of August but key rice growing areas like northern and southern region is still showing significant cumulative rains deficits. During the months of June and July the country had experienced the late onset of summer monsoon followed by a prolonged dry spell in the main producing areas of the country. This will negatively affect production of the 2012 main Kharif season crops, including paddy, maize, sugarcane, pulses and oilseeds.
During June to August 28 the overall rainfall in the country is deficient by 13%, as per the Indian Meteorological Department's (IMD) data. The data showed that in East and Northeast India the rainfall deficiency was in the tune of 13% while in Northwest India it is 16%. Similarly, the deficiency in Central and South peninsular India is 10% and 14% respectively.
As of August 24, in the ongoing kharif season the rice acreage is down by 4% to 329.19 lakh hectare compared to 342 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. Nevertheless given the high level of foodgrain stocks the overall food security in the country is considered to be satisfactory. As of August 1, 2012, the total foodgrains stock with the centre is 76.11 MT as compared to 61.28 MT in the same period last year. The country has harvested a record 104.32 million tonnes of rice in the 2011-12 crop year (July-June).
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