January 8, 2007

 

India wheat planting at all-time high

 

 

India's wheat plantings as of Jan. 5 are estimated at 27.5 million hectares, up from 25.8 million hectares in the year-earlier period, the latest government data showed Friday.

 

The plantings of wheat so far have already surpassed last year's total of 26.6 million hectares and is one of the highest ever for any year.

 

Planting progress is one of the main factors on which the direction of India's 2007 wheat trade depends.

 

India's 2007 wheat output is forecast to rise to 72.80 million tonnes from 69.48 million tonnes in the previous year, the latest industry estimates showed.

 

The estimates were arrived at by a panel of industry officials, traders, importers and exporters during a conference organised by Agriwatch, a New Delhi-based farm consultancy.

 

Rapeseed output is forecast at 5.85 million tonnes, down from 6.77 million tonnes a year ago.

 

Rapeseed and wheat are India's two main winter-sown crops that are harvested from mid-February.

 

Sowing of rapeseed covered 6.62 million hectares, down from 7.26 million hectares a year earlier.

 

Farmers in India have shifted toward planting grains instead of oilseeds in anticipation of higher incomes.

 

Significant gains in wheat plantings of more than 1.5 million hectares from the year earlier have been made in nontraditional regions such as the western province of Gujarat, which is better known for growing groundnut.

 

Area under wheat in the state of Gujarat is estimated at 1.15 million hectares, more then twice the usual.

 

In India, wheat is sown between October and December for harvesting from mid-February.

 

Last month, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said India's wheat output could top 74 million tonnes in 2007, up from an estimated 69.48 million tonnes this year, as long as the weather continues to be favorable.

 

Corn has been planted in 707,600 hectares, down from 1.01 million hectares.

 

Area under pulses is estimated at 12.97 million hectares, only slightly higher than last year's 12.69 million hectares, despite an apparent shift in plantings from oilseeds.

 

Oilseeds covered 9.29 million hectares, down from 10.18 million hectares in the corresponding period of last year.

 

Sowing of the most important winter-sown oilseeds crop in volume and oil content - rapeseed - covered 6.62 million hectares, down from 7.26 million hectares a year earlier.

 

India's winter-sown crops are mostly planted from October to December.