Crop damage unlikely to impact food security: Govt

Damage to Rabi crops due to untimely rains will have no impact on the country’s food security as the government has adequate foodgrains in stock.

Though over 100 lakh hectares of crops were damaged in three spells of rain and hailstorm across 14 states, the shortfall in foodgrain production will be only three per cent.

“We have adequate stocks of foodgrains – wheat and rice – and the damage to rabi crop due to untimely rainfall will not have an impact on food security,” Agriculture Ministry officials said. India’s foodgrain production is estimated to decline by 3.2 per cent at 257.07 million tonnes in the 2014-15 crop year (July-June) as against 265.57 million tonnes in the previous year.