NEW DEHLI, INDIA — Timely and sufficient rain throughout India has bolstered the country’s grain production, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The country’s rice production in the 2020-21 marketing year is expected to total 118 million tonnes based on 44 million hectares of planting as early monsoon rains were observed June through July in 2020. Based on domestic supplies and current market price the USDA estimates India will export 12 million tonnes of rice during the 2020-21 marketing year. The higher export forecast has lowered 2020-21 marketing year rice ending stocks to 36 million tonnes.

A record wheat harvest is expected to total 39 million tonnes in India during the 2020-21 marketing year, a 14% increase over the previous record in 2012-13, the USDA said.

India’s 2020-21 marketing year corn planting also has benefited from the 2020 monsoon with an estimated 7.13 million hectares planted. The USDA’s corn production forecast for India in the 2019-20 marketing year remains unchanged at 27.5 million tonnes. The country is expected to reduce its corn imports due to weak domestic prices and lowered demand from the poultry sector. The USDA forecasts imports during the 2020-21 marketing year at 300,000 tonnes, which in turn lowers the USDA’s ending stocks estimate to 1.35 million tonnes.