INDIA (18 February)
Sowing of the Rabi crops in many parts of the country was affected by low soil moisture resulting from below normal rainfall during the post-monsoon months of October 2002 to January 2003. Sowing of Rabi wheat, sorghum, pulses and oilseeds has shown deficit compared to previous season and some shift in the cropping pattern is likely in some drought-stricken states. Consequently, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, production of wheat, the major Rabi crop due for harvest in March is expected to be around 68.9 million tonnes, well below the 71.8 million tonnes estimated for 2002. With the drought in Rajasthan in the northwest and Orissa in the east, the total Rabi grain output is projected at 92.9 million tonnes this year.
By contrast, good pre-sowing rains in October in most part of the southern peninsula improved soil moisture, ground water resources and availability of water for irrigation, thus favouring plantings in these areas. Sowings of the Rabi rice, due for harvest in March-May 2003 has been completed in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and West Bengal. The output from the Rabi rice (milled) is estimated at 10.3 million tonnes. This, together with the Kharif rice (milled), harvested in September- November 2002 and estimated at 67.4 million tonnes, gives an aggregate production in 2002/03 of 77.7 million tonnes of milled rice. Total foodgrain production for 2002/03 estimated at 183.2 million tonnes (rice in milled equivalent) is the worst in last five years and 13.6 percent lower than the record harvest of 212.0 million tonnes in 2001/02.
The Government and the local and international organizations continue to provide food relief and medical assistance to the populations of the states affected by serious floods last year, while State governments are implementing food-for-work programmes for drought affected people. A death toll from a month long cold spell in January 2003 was 900 primarily in the northeastern states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Much of the north was affected by the unusually cold weather this winter.
The overall national food supply position remains satisfactory despite food deficits in many areas due to reduced production. Record or near record procurement of rice and wheat in previous seasons, prompted by government policies, resulted in a level of cereal stocks almost three times the officially desired buffer stock level. To reduce the financial burden of the large stockpile, exports of rice and wheat are encouraged. The Government has reportedly allocated about 9 million tonnes of wheat and 6.6 million tonnes of rice for export. In the April-October 2002 period, the country exported 2.86 million tonnes of wheat. In addition, in November 2002, India donated one million tonnes of wheat for WFP’s under-funded emergency operation in Afghanistan.