January 29, 2013

India's wheat output to be closer to 2012 levels
 

India's wheat output is expected to be closer to 2012's record level of 93.90 million tonnes , according to the country's Agriculture Secretary, Ashish Bahuguna.
 
He also said that the final food grains production estimate for last year would be revised upward by less than 1% from the earlier estimated all-time high of 257.44 million tonnes.
 
The country was able to achieve a bumper wheat crop in the 2011-12 crop year (July-June) as crop yields rose due to conducive weather during February and March, he added.

Rabi (winter crop) sowing starts from October onwards and harvesting begins from end of February. The government has kept a conservative production target for wheat at 86 million tonnes for the current year.
 
States like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are likely to be affected as area under rabi crops are lower, while Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujarat (which suffered drought during Kharif season) are doing well, he said.
 
During the rabi season of the 2011-12 crop year, the country had produced a record 127.50 million tonnes of food grains.

The target for the current year's rabi has been kept at 120.5 million tonnes.