|
New Delhi: India expects a bigger rice harvest than forecast earlier and is optimistic about next year's wheat crop, easing concerns of shortages. However, it has scaled down its expectations for sugarcane, oilseeds and corn, a top official said.
India, which has banned wheat and corn exports and allows shipments of only some premium grades of rice to avoid domestic scarcity, has adequate food stocks after a bumper wheat harvest this year. Yet, the government is in no hurry to ease trade controls ahead of next year's general elections.
The government will review restrictions on rice exports in November, while the ban on corn exports, which lapses on Oct-ober 15, will only be extended if the crop is poor.
'No food security risk'
"As of now, I don't think we have a food security risk," the Agriculture Secretary, T. Nanda Kumar, told a news conference to share the government's latest forecasts for summer-sown crops.
Rice output is expected to surge to a record 83.25 million tonnes, higher than July's forecast of 82.81 million tonnes due to a larger area planted with the crop.
Corn and oilseed production was hit by scanty rains in western India, Kumar said.
Analysts say higher rice output may encourage India to further ease export curbs while lower oilseeds crop may boost imports by the world's second-largest buyer of the cooking medium.
Oilseeds output is forecast to be 17.95 million tonnes, 9.5 per cent lower than the previous estimate. The forecast for corn, which has also been hit by floods in eastern Bihar, has been cut by 14 per cent to 13.04 million tonnes.
Higher expectation
The estimate for total grain output from summer-sown crops has been cut to 115.33 million tonnes from 120.96 million tonnes, but Kumar said output may be higher.
"This is a conservative estimate," he said, adding the outlook for wheat and rapeseed, which will be sown this year, was promising.
"For the [winter-sown] crop, moisture level is good and it will help both wheat and rapeseed," he added.
Indian agriculture has a two-crop cycle. Summer-sown crops of rice, corn and oilseeds are planted between June and September and harvested from October.
Farmers sow wheat and other winter-planted crops in October and November and start harvesting from March.
|
