Pawar hints at bumper harvest, dip in inflation
New Delhi, July 9: The Union food and agriculture minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, said on Friday that a good monsoon and a rise in area under cultivation has would lead to a bumper crop in 2010-11.
Foodgrain production had come down by seven per cent in the 2009-10 crop year to 218.19 million tonnes from a record 234.47 million tonnes in 2008-09 because of a severe drought last year that hit almost half of the country.
“The way sowing operation is undergoing and reports of good monsoon from the states, we are likely to have a bumper crop this year,” Mr Pawar said.
Earlier this week, the minister had said that area under kharif crops such as paddy, oilseeds and pulses is expected to be higher this crop year vis-a-vis the preceding two years.
The likely bumper production will help contain food inflation, as well as overall inflation, which is above 12 per cent. Pawar claimed food inflation has started coming down substantially. The falling trend in prices will continue in the coming weeks, the minister said.
Mr Pawar said that he spoke to state governments on the impact of recent floods on crops in Punjab and Haryana.
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