Food grain production target is 148.48 lakh tonnes for 2025-26, says Agriculture Minister

Minister for Agriculture N. Cheluvarayaswamy said here on Friday that the State has set a target of producing 148.48 lakh tonnes of food grain for the year 2025-26.

Speaking to reporters at the District Agricultural Training Centre at Naganahalli after reviewing the progress of the Mysuru Revenue Division, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said the State had produced 153 lakh tonnes of food grain during 2024-25, which was in excess of the actual target.

In addition to the food grain, target for oil seed production is 12.20 lakh tonnes for the current year, he said.

For the Kharif season 2025-26, the target is to bring 82.50 lakh hectares under sowing, while it is 25.50 lakh hectares for rabi and 6.40 lakh hectares for the summer season. In all, sowing will take place over 114.40 lakh hectares during the year, he said.

The Minister said that pre-monsoon rains and the early onset of the southwest monsoon triggered land preparations during April and May in Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Mandya, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Tumakuru, Koppal, Ramanagara, and Chitradurga.

Sowing of crops such as jowar, green gram, black gram, cowpea, sesame, sunflower, cotton, tobacco, etc., has been taken up, said the Minister.

But in coastal and Malnad belt and in the north-interior and parts of south-interior Karnataka, land preparations and sowing activity commenced with the onset of the monsoon, he added.

For the pre-monsoon season, the sowing target was 2.86 lakh hectares, against which the actual sowing was over 3.06 lakh hectares.

With regard to sowing for the Kharif season, the target is 82.50 lakh hectares, against which sowing has been completed in 43.55 lakh hectares, which is 53% of the target, said the Minister.

On the availability of seeds, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said the demand is 4.64 lakh quintals, against which 2.16 lakh quintals have been distributed as of June 27, and 0.70 lakh quintals are in stock at the Raita Samparka Kendras.

The estimated demand for fertilizers is 26.77 lakh metric tonnes, against which 21.19 lakh metric tonnes are in stock.

Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said rains received during the pre-monsoon season from March to May was 286 mm against the normal 115 mm, and it was 149% higher than normal. Also, from June 1 to June 27, normal rainfall was 175 mm for the period, while the actual rains received was 189 mm.

While the early onset of monsoon and normal rainfall is good as the dams, especially in the Cauvery basin, are filled to the brim, there are also concerns that excess rainfall could lead to crop damage and reduction in yield, the Minister said.