Kharif foodgrain production in Maharashtra dropped by 18% due to erratic rain

Mumbai: Erratic, inadequate and unseasonal rainfall last year has taken a toll on agricultural production in the kharif season, with overall production of foodgrains falling by a whopping 18% against the four-year average, according to figures released by the state agriculture department on Tuesday. The production of pulses dipped by 27%, while that of cereals declined by 16%, resulting in a rise in retail prices.

Around 5.3 million metric tonnes (MT) of cereal, including jowar, rice, maze, and ragi, was produced in 2023-24, as against the four-year (2016-17 to 2020-21) average of 6.3 million MT. Just 1.21 million MT of pulses like tur, moong, and urad were produced, compared with an average of 1.6 million MT. The overall production of the kharif crops dropped to 6.5 million MT, compared with the four-year average of 7.9 million MT. Jowar, bajra and moong saw the biggest hit, with production dropping by over 60%.

Barring soyabean, the cash crop in Marathwada and Vidarbha, the production of other oil seeds, including groundnut, sesame, nigerseed, and sunflower, dipped significantly, ranging between 31% and 89%. A big jump in the production of soyabean – 6.6 million MT against an average of 4.8 million MT – helped maintain the overall average of the oil seeds. Against the four-year average of 5.1 million MT, oil seed production reported in 2023-24 was 6.7 million MT. The agriculture department released the figures during an annual review meeting held by chief minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday.

Inadequate rainfall across the state last monsoon, prolonged dry spells and unseasonal rainfall hit production badly in the farming year that ended after the 2024 summer. “The inadequate rainfall also resulted in the major decline in the area under cultivation last year,” said an officer from the agriculture department. The area under cultivation for kharif food grains was 4.6 million hectares, compared with the four-year average of 5.6 million hectares.

For the oil seeds, though, the area under cultivation increased to 5.2 million hectares from the average of 4.3 million hectares, the officer said. The area under the cultivation of cash crops like soyabean, sugarcane and cotton has also increased, as has their production.

The production in the rabi and summer seasons of crops (October 2023 to May 2024), however, saw an improvement in the production of foodgrains and oilseeds, although the yearly production remained much lower than in 2022-23. Foodgrain production, including cereals and pulses, dipped to 1.46 billion MT from 1.68 billion MT in the previous year. The production of oil seeds in 2023-24 was 691.6 million MT, down from 709.1 million MT in 2022-23.

Natural calamities and low prices of agricultural produce hit farmers badly, said Vijay Jawandhia, a farm activist and expert. “Generally, low production leads to a price hike in the market, but it has become an exception nowadays, owing to government policies. The government exports agri products immediately if the rate of any produce crosses the minimum support price fixed by the government. Around 80% of farming in Vidarbha and Marathwada is in a rain-fed area, and the erratic rainfall last year has taken a major toll,” he added.

In the backdrop of the inadequate rainfall last season, the state government announced severe/moderate drought in 40 tehsils in 15 districts. It spent ₹2,443 crore on mitigation and ex gratia for the 22.66-hectare affected area. The state government spent an additional ₹4,019 crore towards compensating farmers for their losses due to the unseasonal rainfall and flooding between January 2023 and January 2024.