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NEW DELHI: India’s rice production during the 2025-26 kharif season that ended in Oct reached a record 124.5 million tonnes (MT), which is 1.7 MT (over 1%) more than the production of kharif rice last year, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday. Output of pulses, oilseeds and cotton, however, marginally declined.The ministry’s first advance estimates of kharif crops output put the total estimated foodgrain production for the 2025-26 season at around 173 MT, up from 169 MT a year earlier.These estimates are based on yield trends from previous years, other ground-level inputs, regional observations and data received from states.Revisions of output figures are made during subsequent estimates when the actual crop cutting experiment yield data becomes available. The ministry releases four advance estimates before final production figures for a crop year.Sowing of kharif crops starts at the onset of monsoon in June, and harvest generally begins in Oct.”Excessive rainfall in some areas of the country affected crops, but most areas have benefited significantly from a good monsoon, leading to overall good crop growth,” agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.Maize production is estimated at 28 MT in 2025-26, up from nearly 25 MT the previous year. On the other hand, pulses production is estimated marginally lower at 7.4 MT compared to 7.7 MT in 2024-25. Similarly, oilseeds output is estimated at 27.5 MT, down from 28 MT the previous year.Cotton output is also pegged lower at 29.2 million bales (170 kg each) compared to 29.7 million bales a year earlier, while jute and mesta output is estimated at 8.3 million bales (180 kg each), down from 8.4 million bales.
