India’s total kharif foodgrain production for 2024-25, as per the first advance estimates, is projected at a record 1,647.05 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), which is higher by 89.37 LMT as compared to the previous year’s kharif foodgrain production and 124.59 LMT higher than average kharif foodgrain production, according to the figures released the Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday.

“Foodgrain production witnessed a record increase due to good production of rice, jowar, and maize,” an official statement said.

The total production of kharif rice during 2024-25 is estimated to be 1,199.34 LMT which is higher by 66.75 LMT than the previous year kharif rice production and 114.83 LMT higher than average kharif rice production.

The kharif maize production is estimated at 245.41 LMT and kharif nutri/coarse cereals is estimated to be 378.18 LMT.

Further, the total kharif pulses production during 2024-25 is estimated to be 69.54 LMT, while the total kharif oilseeds production in the country during 2024-25 is estimated to be 257.45 LMT which is higher by 15.83 LMT than the previous year.

The kharif groundnut production for 2024-25 is estimated at 103.60 LMT and soybean production is estimated at 133.60 LMT.

The production of sugarcane in the country during 2024-25 is estimated to be 4,399.30 lakh tonnes, and of cotton is estimated to be 299.26 lakh bales (of 170 kg each). The production of jute and mesta is estimated to be 84.56 lakh bales (of 180 kg each).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare said that these estimates have been primarily prepared on the basis of information received from states. The crop area received from the states has been validated and triangulated with information received from remote sensing, the weekly crop weather watch group, and other agencies.

Further, the ministry took the initiative of stakeholder consultation with representatives from the industry and other government departments to receive their opinions, views, and sentiments for the current kharif season. These have also been considered while finalising the estimates, according to the official statement. For the first time, data from the Digital Crop Survey (DCS) which is being conducted under the Digital Agriculture Mission in collaboration with state governments has been utilised to prepare area estimates. This survey which is envisaged to replace the manual girdawari system is an important step towards arriving at robust crop area estimates.

The DCS-based crop area estimation has been done for the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Odisha wherein 100 per cent of districts are covered under DCS in Kharif 2024.

This has led to a substantial rise in area under rice particularly in Uttar Pradesh, the statement added.

The crop yields estimates are majorly based on the normal yield, coupled with other ground-level inputs and expectations. This yield will undergo revision based on the receipt of actual yield ascertained through the conduct of Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) during the time of harvest, which, in return, would be reflected in the subsequent production estimates.