India Pulse Output Jumps 8.4%

VANCOUVER - Feb 6/07 - SNS -- Strong internal markets for pulses over the past year has resulted in a major increase in total pulse seedings in India and a prospective 8.4% jump in total production levels, despite worrying rabi season yields in key gram or chickpea production areas.

The country's second production estimate of the 2006-07 season, pegs total pulse output across the 2006-07 kharif and rabi crops at 14.52 million metric tons (MT), up from 13.39 million in 2005-06. The only pulse crop specifically mentioned in the latest estimates was gram or chickpea, with output is forecast to advance from 5.6 to 6.16 million MT.

Total food grain output in India is expected to end up at 209.17 million MT from both the kharif and rabi season crops grown in 2006-07. Wheat output is expected to advance from 69.48 to 72.5 million MT; rice to decline from 91.79 to 90.13 million MT; jowar to advance from 7.63 to 7.72 million MT; bajra to drop from 7.68 to 7.54 million MT; and corn to drop from 14.71 to 13.56 million MT.

Total oilseed output is forecast at 23.62 million MT, down from 27.98 million last season. Rapeseed-mustard production is expected to drop from 8.13 to 7.57 million MT; groundnut from 7.99 to 4.41 million MT; and soybean to increase from 8.27 to 8.68 million MT.

The 2006-07 cotton harvest is forecast at 20.964 million bales, up from 18.5 million last season; while jute and mesta output is forecast at 11.39 million bales, up from 10.984 million in 2005-06. Sugarcane output is expected to jump from 281.2 million MT in 2005-06 to 315.5 million this season.

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