look news india
Everyone, common and special, is troubled by inflation. Due to increase in food prices, retail inflation rate once again increased to 5.49 percent in September. The public will be burdened with increased inflation even during the festive season. However, in the meantime there is also good news. This time, record production of wheat and pulses is expected in Rabi season 2024-25. Experts say that this will reduce inflation. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said there is adequate availability of key fertilizers like urea and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) despite delays in import consignments due to geopolitical tensions. Chauhan said that the import consignment is getting delayed. Although there is no shortage of fertilizer. We have made arrangements for Ravi season and have adequate supply. The ministry has set a target of grain production of 164.55 lakh tonnes for the Rabi season 2024-25, which includes 115 lakh tonnes of wheat and 18.15 lakh tonnes of pulses. Sowing of Ravi (winter) crops has started and will pick up pace after Diwali.
Record production is expected this time due to good monsoon
India is re-routing DAP shipments from Morocco via South Africa after the Red Sea route was disrupted, adding 21 days to delivery time at western ports, Fertilizer Secretary Rajat Kumar Mishra said. Mishra said India imports about 60 per cent of its 5.5 lakh tonne DAP demand for the Rabi season from Russia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and China. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Director General Himanshu Pathak expressed optimism about the upcoming session. “Considering the water level in reservoirs, IMD forecast and soil moisture, record production is expected in the Rabi season this year,” Pathak said, advocating the adoption of climate-friendly and bio-fortified seeds. He highlighted that such varieties were used in almost 70 per cent of wheat cultivation last year, which significantly contributed to the bumper crop.
Crop survey will be implemented across the country from next year
Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi stressed the need to increase the area under gram cultivation. He said that production has been low in the last two years, due to which imports have to be made. Officials said the average area under Rabi crop in the last five years was 668 lakh hectares, of which wheat accounted for 312 lakh hectares. The government has announced higher minimum support prices for wheat and other winter-sown crops to encourage planting. Agriculture ministers of six states including Union Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur and Bhagirath Chaudhary participated in the conference. The officials also discussed digital initiatives, including farmer data registration to be launched across the country next year and crop surveys currently underway in two states.