India has the largest cultivated area among the BRICS nations, but its farms continue to produce far less grain per hectare than China, the bloc’s biggest cereal producer, an analysis of data provided in the BRICS Joint Statistical Publication released August 18 showed.
The issue of lower yields was also taken up at the BRICS Agriculture Ministers’ meeting in Indore in June. The countries, as per the joint statement, called for cooperation on technology, quality inputs, research, mechanisation, digital agriculture and improved farm-level efficiency. a comparison with Brazil shows Brazil’s 2025 rice yield was 7,234 kg/ha, almost 2.5 times India’s, while its maize yield of 6,364 kg/ha was about 66% higher While the document provides limited data for other countries. However, India’s wheat yield of 3,591 kg/ha was higher than Brazil’s 3,230 kg/ha. Russia also recorded a lower wheat yield of 3,431 kg/ha in 2025.
The joint declaration listed “low agricultural productivity” among the challenges facing BRICS agriculture, alongside climate risks, land and water degradation, biodiversity loss and supply-chain disruptions.
