Centre forecasts record kharif crop production

NEW DELHI: India is on course to harvest a record output of kharif or summer-sown staples, such as rice, corn and groundnut, on the back of a robust monsoon, which will likely help cool food prices, estimates released by the agriculture ministry on Tuesday showed.

- Zia Haq

The projections, the first among four annual forecasts of crops by the government, show production of cereals continue to outstrip that of other commodities, which tends to keep prices volatile.

The production of total summer-sown foodgrains, or cereals, for 2024-25 is projected to be 164.7 million tonne, which is higher by 8.9 million tonne, about 6%, compared to previous year's kharif food grain production of 155.4 million tonne.