Farmers thrash rice paddies in a field in Tral town in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district October 1, 2023.

Oct 27 (Reuters) – India’s summer-sown rice output, which accounts for more than 85% of its annual production, is expected to total 106.3 million tonnes in the 2023-24 crop year, the agriculture ministry said in its first production estimate.

The country’s overall summer-sown grains output is expected at 148.6 million tonnes in the 2023-24 crop year that began in July, it said in a statement.

The ministry said it expects output of summer-sown pulses for the period at 7.1 million tonnes, lower than the previous year due to climatic conditions.

The country also estimated an output of 21.5 million tonnes of oilseeds, 434.8 million tonnes of sugarcane, 22.5 million tonnes of maize and 31.7 million bales of cotton for the year 2023-24.

India recently imposed a major rice export ban, highlighting the sensitivity of the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to food inflation ahead of a general election next year.

Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson

Published Date: October 27, 2023