Agriculture-sector Performance

Initial data suggests that agricultural growth in the current fiscal year could be
significantly better than in FY08, notwithstanding a sharp fall in sugarcane
harvest. This expectation is based on a record rice harvest of 6.5 million tonnes,
and a small improvement in cotton production during kharif FY09 (see Table 2.1)
supported by the possibility of a record wheat harvest.1 Initial information also
2.1: Performance of Major Crop
Area under cultivation (000 hectares)
Crops FY07 FY08T FY08P FY09T FY09E % change in FY09
over FY08
Cotton 3,075 3,250 3,055 3,220 2,850 -7
Sugarcane 1,029 1,040 1,241 1,040 1,043 -16
Rice 2,581 2,594 2,516 2,594 2,916 16
Wheat 8,578 8,578 8,550 8,610 4,729* 9.3**
Gram 1,052 1,120 782 1,012 - -
Maize 1,017 1,001 1,037 1,001 - -
Production (000 tons; cotton in 000 bales of 170.09 kg each)
Cotton 12,856 14,140 11,655 14,110 12,060 3.5
Sugarcane 54,742 55,871 63,920 56,516 53,689 -16.0
Rice 5,438 5,721 5,561 5,721 6,543 17.7
Wheat 23,295 24,045 20,959 25,000 - -
Gram 838 707 554 652 - -
Maize 3,088 3,221 3,109 3,279 - -
Yield (Kg/hectare)
Cotton 711 740 649 750 720 10.9
Sugarcane 53,199 53,722 51,507 54,342 51,476 -0.1
Rice 2,107 2,205 2,210 2,205 2,244 1.5
Wheat 2,716 2,803 2,451 2,904 - -
Gram 797 631 708 644 - -
Maize 3,036 3,218 2,998 3,276 - -
P: Provisional,
T: Target, E: Estimates
Source: MINFAL
(*) Up to Nov-15, 2008; (**) Change over the corresponding period of 2007