January 13, 2025

 

India's wheat production could drop by 6-10% due to climate change

 

 

India's rice and wheat production is expected to decline by 6-10% due to climate change, warned senior officials from the country's Ministry of Earth Sciences and India Meteorological Department.

 

The projection, reported by the PTI, underscores growing concerns about food security in a country where millions rely on affordable grains.

 

In 2023-24, India harvested 113.29 million tonnes of wheat and 137 million tonnes of rice for its 1.4 billion population, with 80% depending on government-subsidised grains.

 

According to the report, global warming is weakening Western Disturbances including weather systems that bring winter rains to northwest India. This could lead to severe water shortages for billions living in the Himalayan region and surrounding plains, according to M. Ravichandran, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

 

Data from the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) predicts wheat yields may drop by 6-25% by 2100, while irrigated rice yields could fall by 7% by 2050 and 10% by 2080. With over 80% of India's farmers owning less than two hectares of land, this poses a grave challenge to livelihoods.

 

Furthermore, rising sea temperatures are forcing fish to migrate to cooler, deeper waters, impacting coastal fishing communities.

 

"This creates significant challenges for fishers, disrupting their earnings and livelihoods," Ravichandran said.

 

Climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events and reducing the lead time for predicting heavy rainfall.

 

"The time to predict such events has decreased from three days to just one and a half days," said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of the India Meteorological Department speaking to PTI.

 

On September 13, the central government tightened the stock holding limit on wheat amid a renewed clamour for lowering the customs duty to enable cheaper wheat imports.

 

- Business Standard