Kharif output seen rising 10 per cent to 114mt: CMIE

MUMBAI: The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy ( CMIE) says farm out will grow by 10 per cent to 114 million tonne in the 2010 Kharif season, against a 12 per cent decline in the year ago season, while Rabi season is expected to report a 2 per cent spike at 116.6 mt compared to a 1.7 per cent drop last season.

"Due to the significantly good monsoon (102 per cent), area sown rose by seven per cent during the current Kharif season, despite below normal monsoon in eastern UP, Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, MP, Chhattisgarh and Meghalaya," says the CMIE report on macro economy, that was released in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Oilseeds production is expected to rise by 11.1 per cent during the season to 18.1 per cent, sugarcane to notch up by 15.6 per cent to 321 mt and cotton to grow by 12.4 per cent to 26.9 million bales compared to 23,9 million bales in the last season.

The agency pegs the overall foodgrain output growth up by 5.3 per cent to 229.7 million tonne, which is lower than 234.5 mt produced in 2008-09.

Rice production is projected to grow by 4.3 per cent to 93 million tonne for the full year, while wheat is slated to grow by 1.1 per cent to 81.6 per cent during the reporting season. For the Kharif season, it pegs rice output at 79 mt, while Rabi will see a 5.9 per cent spike to 14 mt.

Areas under pulses grew 19 per cent in the Kharif season to 124.6 lakh hectares, and the total production is expected to touch 16.1 mt or a 10.9 per cent jump in the whole year, says the CMIE report.

Coarse cereals is likely to grow by a high 15.5 per cent to 39.5 mt, pulses to grow by 9.9 per cent to 16 mt during the Kharif season this year, says the agency.

Against this, the agency pegs the Rabi crop output at a higher two per cent this year up from a negative 1.7 per cent witnessed last season.

The Rabi break-up of the major crops follows: the major Rabi crop of wheat is projected to grow by 1.1 per cent to 81.5 mt against 80.7 mt last season.

Major agricultural crops are projected to grow by 7.2 per cent in 2010-11 against a 6.6 per cent decline last year, says the report. Major crops include foodgrain, oilseeds, cotton, sugarcane, and fruits and vegetables.

Production of non-food crops as a whole is projected to grow by 9.7 per cent in the year, while that of minor crops by four per cent during the whole year, concludes the agency.