By Rajendar Bajpai
NEW DELHI, Nov. 24, Reuter: India is heading for a record grain harvest after two years of the worst droughts in a century, prompting opposition politicians to predict Prime Minister Rajiv Ganchi will call early elections,
A senior agriculture ministry official said on Thursday the winter crop was looking better than predicted and food-grain output could reach a record 95 million tons against the target of 92.5 million.
He said total output for the 1988/89 year ending next March could reach an unprecedented 171 million tons against a 168.5 million tons target.
India’s previous record grain year was 1524 million tons in 1983/84.
Annual grain production is of vital importance to India’s 800 million people, 80 per cent of whom derive their livelihood from agriculture.
Gandhi has repeatedly denied he will hold early elections to capitalize on the optimistic forecasts, saying he planned to complete his five-year term.
But opposition sources believe Gandhi is under fresh pressure from his advisers to call a snap poll as early as February or March, although elections are not scheduled until December 1989.
This would also take advantage of tensions and conflict within the opposition.
Gandhi’s main opponent, Vishwanath Pratap Singh of the Janata Dal (People’s Party), said this week he was willing to bet Gandhi would go for early rather than late elections.
If we succeed in reaching the Rabi (summer) harvested target of 76 million tons, then the total production would reach 171 million tons, + he said in an interview.
The new estimates have brought a collective sigh of relief from officials who say drought for a third consecutive year would have been a disaster for India.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 2, 1988
