India's kharif rice production is set to exceed last year's levels, according to Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Despite some crop damage from heavy rains in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, overall yields are expected to be higher. Total rice acreage has increased, and there is optimism about the production of other kharif crops.
India's rice production this year will be higher than last year despite heavy rains and flooding in some states, Agricultural Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Thursday.
The country is also considering easing curbs on non-basmati rice exports as inventories in the world's biggest exporter of the grain surge and farmers are set to harvest a new crop in the coming weeks.
India imposed a series of curbs on overseas shipments of different grades in 2023 to ensure sufficient supplies for the country's 1.4 billion people and to keep local prices in check.
Last year, the El Nino weather pattern curtailed rains in the country, which relies on the June-to-September monsoon for watering nearly half of its farmland that lacks irrigation.
After a weak start in June, monsoon rains have been plentiful this year, with rains 7.6% above average so far in the four-month season.
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