A bumper kharif harvest likely

New Delhi | Chandigarh| Pune: India is heading towards a bumper kharif harvest, said farmers, traders and agriculture companies, as the planting season comes to an end.

They aren't worried about floods in central and eastern India hurting farm production, but are upbeat about the crop prospects, with plentiful rains this monsoon season drenching the farmland after two consecutive droughts. They predict higher production in rice and increase in output of pulses, a key contributor to high food inflation, citing favourable weather and higher acreage.

Karan Mehrishi, lead economist at SMERA Ratings, expects output of pulses total 7.7 million tonnes, up 39 per cent from last season. Production of rice is predicted to be 91.3 million tonnes, while that of coarse cereals is expected at 30.3 million tonnes. "In cash crops, sugar cane is expected to be at 3,292 million tonnes (6.5 per cent fall) and cotton is expected to provide 330.3 million tonnes, an increase of 9.6 per cent yearon-year," Mehrishi said. India's acreage of pulses increased more than 35 per cent this season to cover 13.60 million hectares, according to the agriculture ministry.

“We see a 40 per cent increase in kharif pulses production in India,“ said Pravin Dongre, chairman of Indi an Pulses & Grain Association.

This year, rice acreage has increased 3.6 per cent to 34.64 million hectares. "The output could increase by 8-10 per cent due to favourable weather and higher acreage," said MP Jindal, president of All India Rice Exporters Association.

Meanwhile, anticipation of higher farm production is driving the prices of several commodities lower, which augurs well for the con sumer but not for the farmer as his returns will take a hit. Farmer leaders want the government to intervene and help avoid troubles in the farm sector.

"The government should have stepped in by now, ahead of the market arrivals for procurement," said Ajay Vir Jakhar, chairman of Bharat Krishak Samaj.

Moong is the first crop to come to market, in September. Its prices have already fallen 10-20 per cent below the minimum support price of Rs 5,225 per quintal, including a Rs 425 bonus. Taking a cue from the increased sowing, the NCDEX October soyabean prices traded lower Rs 3,475 a quintal on Monday at ` , compared with the spot price of Rs 3,713 in the Indore market.

The Solvent Extractors' Association of India predicts India's 201617 soyabean production to be around 10 million tonnes, up from 77.5 million tonnes in 2015-16. Groundnut and sunflower are also planted on substantially larger areas, while niger, sesamum and castor have seen a drop.