Production surged 10 million tonnes to 227.32 million tonnes in 2007-08. After a near-stagnation or modest growth in output for several years, Indian agriculture is reckoned officially to have rebound in 2007-08 with foodgrain production surging by 10 million tonnes, or 4.6 per cent, to touch a new high of 227.32 million tonnes. The grain output in 2006-07 was 217.28 million tonnes. The year's grain output growth of 4.6 per cent is nearly four times the average annual growth of 1.2 per cent between 1990 and 2007. The rebound is attributed to the record output of almost all major crops, including wheat, rice, coarse cereals, pulses, oilseeds and cotton. This has been indicated in the latest crop production estimates (3rd advance estimates) for 2007-08 released by the agriculture ministry today. This might require an upward revision in the computation of agricultural gross domestic output (GDP) as well as the country's overall GDP for 2007-08. The earlier agricultural GDP growth of 2.6 per cent for 2007-08 was based on the crop production estimates of February 2007 which were relatively lower than the revised projections released today. The production of wheat, currently being harvested, is now projected at record 76.78 million tonnes, marginally higher than the previous peak output of 76.37 million tonnes in 1999-2000. This production was put at 74.81 million tonnes in the estimates released in February last. The production of rice, too, is estimated at an all-time high of 95.68 million tonnes, clocking a growth of 2.5 per cent over last year's 93.35 million tonnes. The output of coarse cereals is reckoned at 39.67 million tonnes, a whopping 17 per cent higher than 33.92 million tonnes in 2006-07. The maize output displayed the fastest growth of 22.8 per cent, followed by bajra (14.6 per cent) and jowar (8 per cent). Significantly, the production of pulses is projected to have risen to 15.19 million tonnes, registering a year-on-year growth of 7 per cent and touching a new high. The previous highest pulses output was 14.91 million tonnes in 2003-04. Similarly, total output of oilseeds is estimated to have risen to a record 28.2 million tonnes, up about 16 per cent over previous year's 24.29 million tonnes. The bulk of the increase was accounted for by groundnut, whose output almost doubled in one year. The production of mustard, however, declined 13.6 per cent to 6.43 million tonnes from 7.44 million tonnes in the previous year. Among the commercial crops, the production of cotton is claimed to have surged to a record 23.19 million bales, marking an increase of 2.5 per cent over previous year's 22.63 million bales. Sugarcane output is, however, reckoned to have declined to 344.32 million tonnes in 2007-08 from 355.52 million tonnes in the previous year due to reduction in the area under the crop in view of the prevailing sugar glut. Releasing these numbers, Agriculture Secretary PK Mishra said weather had been conducive for crop growth in 2007-08, though the new initiatives by the government also contributed. Use of good-quality fresh seeds rose appreciably during the year, he added. The induction of fresh wheat seeds rose over 20 per cent in Rajasthan and 10 times in Bihar, Mishra said. He said despite the earlier fear that the area under wheat declined in the current rabi season, the actual acreage had turned out to be almost the same as last year's 28 million hectares. This, coupled with use of better seeds and salubrious weather, helped achieve a new record in wheat output, Mishra said.