Agricultural growth slows to 2.9 per cent in Q1

NEW DELHI: The fall in production of rice and oilseeds pulled down the growth in the agriculture sector to 2.9 per cent in the first quarter of the current fiscal, even as wheat and cotton output increased.

The GDP growth in the agriculture sector stood at 3.7 per cent in the same quarter of the 2011-12 fiscal.

The agricultural sector, which contributes about 14 per cent to India's GDP, comprises of agriculture, forestry and fishing.

"The production of wheat increased by 8.1 per cent during the rabi season of agriculture year 2011-12 (which ended in June 2012), while rice registered a decline of 16.6 per cent," Central Statistical Organisation data released today said.

Among the commercial crops, the production of oilseeds declined by 12.6 per cent during rabi 2011-12, it added.

The production of cotton and sugarcane recorded growth rates of 6.7 per cent and 4.5 per cent, respectively during agricultural year 2011-12 (July-June).

Cereal output recorded a growth rate of 3.5 per cent during the rabi season of agriculture year 2011-12 over the production in the year-ago period.

Despite a revival in the monsoon rains, which lasts from June to September, the sowing of kharif (summer) crops is still lagging behind target.

The sowing so far in the ongoing season is down by 6 per cent to 920.31 lakh hectares as against 979.19 hectares in the last kharif season.

As per the Indian Meteorological Department's (IMD) data, the overall rainfall in the country during June to August 30 is deficient by 12 per cent.