By Kalden Ongmu and Soumik Dey, edited by Ranjana Chauhan/NewsWire18

India's kharif rice output is likely to fall 17.9% to 69.45 mln tn from 84.58 mln tn a year ago due to poor monsoon rains this year, the agriculture ministry said today. Kharif food grain production is projected to decline 17.9% to 96.63 mln tn, compared with 117.7 mln tn last year, the first advance estimate of crop output released by the ministry said. Southwest monsoon rainfall was 23% below normal this year, the worst in 37 years, resulting in a drought situation in 278 of the country's 626 districts. Kharif oilseed output is estimated to decline 14.8% to 15.23 mln tn, mainly on account of a 19.7% fall in groundnut output. Soybean output is seen down 9.8% to 8.93 mln tn. Output of kharif pulses is estimated to fall 7.5% to 4.42 mln tn, while that of coarse cereals is likely to decline 19.7% to 22.76 mln tn. Sugarcane output is seen down 8.9% to 249.48 mln tn in 2009-10, while cotton is expected to rise 2.2% to 23.66 mln bales. Following are the details of first advance estimate of kharif crop, released by the agriculture ministry (in mln tn): . Crop 1st advance 2008 Year-on-year Estimate Estimate % change Rice 69.45 84.58 (-)17.9 Maize 12 61 13.90 (-)9.3 Jowar 2.55 3.10 (-)17.7 Bajra 5.83 8.83 (-)34.0 Coarse cereals 22.76 28.34 (-)19.7 Tur 2.47 2.31 6.9 Urad 0.88 0.83 6.0 Moong 0.52 0.77 (-)32.5 Pulses 4.42 4.78 (-)7.5 Food grains 96.63 117.70 (-)17.9 Soybean 8.93 9.90 (-)9.8 Groundnut 4.53 5.64 (-)19.7 Oilseed 15.23 17.88 (-)14.8 Cotton* 23.66 23.16 2.2 Jute & Mesta** 10.24 10.41 (-)1.6 Sugarcane 249.48 273.93 (-)8.9 . * mln bales of 170 kg each ** mln bales of 180 kg each 

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