India sets food grain target below last year’s record performance | Today’s news
New Delhi: India has set a food production target of 373.93 million tonnes for the 2026-27 financial year, slightly below the record output for 2025-26, as the government factors in weather risks such as El Nino and erratic rainfall.
The target announced by Agriculture and Farmers Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is below the actual production of 376.56 million tonnes in 2025-26. The lower target is largely due to subdued expectations for rice and maize production.
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The government has set a rabi season target of 177.72 million tonnes against 171.14 million tonnes estimated for 2025-26. Chouhan said the crop plans have been drawn up keeping in mind the water status of reservoirs, water table and soil moisture.
Monsoon impact concerns
The lower full-year target shows concern over the impact of patchy monsoon rainfall and drought-like conditions in some states on the kharif crop.
Farmers had sown 110.39 million hectares of the kharif crop as of September 18, about 1.5 million hectares less than last year, according to agriculture ministry data. The headline number masks declines in key crops such as rice, maize, sugarcane and cotton, which are key to India’s food and fiber stocks.
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Rice acreage fell by 3.7% year-on-year to 42.9 million hectares. Pulses offered some support, with acreage up 1.4% to 11.9 million hectares, led by gains in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. In addition, corn, soybean and cotton acreage also saw a slight decrease.
Chouhan said the increase in acreage of pulses, oilseeds and coarse grains like urad, bajra, jowar, sesame, sunflower and tur is encouraging.
Preliminary reports indicate crop damage in about 611,000 hectares in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat due to heavy rains, floods or drought, Chouhan said. A detailed scientific assessment is underway.
Lack of precipitation
The southwest monsoon season has so far brought cumulative rainfall of 758.5 mm from June 1 to September 29, 12% below the normal of 865 mm, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. A shortfall of more than 19% is not considered a severe drought crisis, he added.
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Despite weather risks, foodgrain stocks remain well above prescribed buffer norms, providing room to manage food security requirements. As of September 1, 2026, rice stocks in the central fund stood at 39.05 million tonnes, nearly three times the prescribed reserve norm of 13.5 million tonnes. Wheat stocks were 48 million tonnes, well above the buffer requirement of 27.6 million tonnes.
Meanwhile, the government plans to launch a nationwide ‘Save the Farm’ campaign from October 22 to November 30 in which farmers will advise agricultural scientists, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, state agriculture officials and other field teams.
