Indian wheat area up slightly

India's winter-sown wheat area until Friday (March 5) rose marginally to 27.81 million hectares from 27.58 million hectares a year earlier, according to government data.

Wheat-sowing usually starts in November and the crop is harvested from March.

India, the world's second-largest wheat producer, has set a target to raise its 2009-10 harvest by two million tonnes to offset a drop in summer-sown food grain output after the country experienced its lowest rainfall in close to four decades.

The country produced 80.7 million tonnes in the crop year ended June.

Area under the winter oilseeds crop up to March 5 fell to 9.3 million hectares from 9.82 million hectares in the same period last year while the area under winter pulses rose to 14.43 million hectares from 13.69 million hectares, the data showed.