Growth in India's agriculture sector jumped to 4.9 per cent last fiscal as the country harvested record foodgrain, thanks to good monsoon rains.
In the previous fiscal, 2015-16, agriculture and allied sectors had expanded only by 0.7 per cent.
"The third advance estimates of foodgrain production was 273.38 million tonnes in 2016-17 which is higher than the second advance estimates of foodgrain production during 2016- 17 of 271.98 million tonnes and final estimates of 251.57 million tonnes during the agricultural year 2015-16," an official statement said.
In May, the agriculture ministry had released its third advance estimates for agriculture production of the 2016-17 crop year (July-June).
According to the data, rice production is estimated at record 109.15 million tonnes, wheat at record 97.44 MT and pulses at an all-time high of 22.40 MT.
Coarse cereals production is estimated to be a record 44.39 MT in 2016-17 as against 38.52 MT last year.
Foodgrain basket comprises of rice, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses.
"As a result of very good rainfall during monsoon 2016 and various policy initiatives taken by the government, the country has witnessed record foodgrain production in the current year," the ministry had said.
With the Met department forecasting normal monsoon this year, the government is expecting to break last year's record foodgrains production.
The southwest monsoon yesterday hit Kerala and the Northeast, two days ahead of the scheduled arrival of the crucial seasonal rainfall.
The news brought cheer to farmers, especially from the drought-hit states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. More than 50 per cent of the country's farmers rely on monsoon for growing their produce.
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