USDA - World Agricultural Production

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has revised its estimate for India's rice production for the marketing year 2022/23 to a record 132.0 million metric tons, up 6% from the previous month and 2% from 2021. The increase is due to a larger rabi crop, which offset losses that occurred during the kharif growing season. The rabi planting, accounting for 30% of total production, increased by 25%, and the harvested area is estimated to be a record 47.0 million hectares, up 3% from the previous month and 2% from last year. The yield is expected to reach 4.21 tons per hectare, up 2% from the previous month and slightly from 2021. Harvesting of the rabi crop should begin in March and end in late April. The report also noted that the rabi crop benefited from ideal growing conditions and that satellite-derived, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index indicates above-average crop vigor.