TAG: GS:3- ECONOMY
THE CONTEXT: The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has released Final Estimates of production of Major Agricultural Crops for the year 2023-24.
EXPLANATION:
- India’s foodgrain production hit a record 3322.92 million tons in the 2023-24 crop year, driven by bumper wheat and rice output.
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- The record production levels contribute positively to India’s food security, addressing both domestic consumption needs and potential export opportunities.
Highlighting record-breaking outputs in several key categories:
Record Foodgrain Production:
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- Total foodgrain production reached 3322.98 LMT, an increase of 26.11 LMT from the previous year (3296.87 LMT).
- This growth is attributed to enhanced production of rice, wheat, and Shree Anna (millets).
The rise in production of Shree Anna highlights the growing emphasis on diverse nutritional crops, aligning with global trends towards more resilient and varied diets.
Specific Crop Achievements:
- Rice: Production at 1378.25 LMT, a rise of 20.70 LMT from last year (1357.55 LMT).
- Wheat: Production reached 1132.92 LMT, up by 27.38 LMT from 1105.54 LMT.
- Rapeseed & Mustard: Record production of 132.59 LMT.
Other Crop Statistics:
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- Nutri/Coarse Cereals: 569.36 LMT.
- Total Pulses: 242.46 LMT, including Tur (34.17 LMT) and Gram (110.39 LMT).
- Total Oilseeds: 396.69 LMT, with Groundnut (101.80 LMT) and Soybean (130.62 LMT).
Challenges Faced:
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- The southern states, including Maharashtra and parts of Rajasthan, experienced drought-like conditions and a prolonged dry spell in August, affecting the Rabi season.
- These conditions particularly impacted pulses, coarse cereals, soybean, and cotton production.
The finance minister made the following proposals regarding agriculture:
- Digital Public Infrastructure: It will be built as an open source, open standard, and interoperable public good. This will enable inclusive, farmer-centric solutions through relevant information services for crop planning and health, and improved access to farm inputs, credit, and insurance.
- Agriculture Accelerator Fund: The Fund will be set-up to encourage Agri-startups by young entrepreneurs in rural areas. It aims to bring modern technology to increase agricultural productivity and profitability.
- Agriculture Credit: The agriculture credit target will be increased to Rs 20 lakh crore with a focus on animal husbandry, dairy, and fisheries.
- PM Matsya Sampada Yojana: A new scheme with a targeted investment of Rs 6,000 crore has been launched to enable activities of fishermen and fish vendors and improve value chain efficiencies.
- Storage: A plan will be implemented to set up decentralised storage capacity to help farmers store their produce and realize realise remunerative prices through sale at appropriate times.
- Cooperatives: The government will also facilitate setting up of multipurpose cooperative societies, primary fishery societies, and dairy cooperative societies in uncovered panchayats and villages in the next five years.
SOURCE:
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2058534
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