March 12, 2024

 

Rainfall, hailstorms impact India's wheat crops, delaying harvest

 

 

Untimely rainfall and hailstorms have battered winter-sown crops, including wheat, rapeseed and chickpeas in India's main producing areas, delaying harvesting, industry and government officials told Reuters.

 

Adverse weather could limit growth in wheat production and complicate the government's efforts to build stocks.

 

This year's wheat harvest is critical for India. Hot and unseasonably warm weather cut the country's wheat output in 2022 and 2023, leading to a sharp drawdown in state reserves.

 

A third straight poor harvest will leave no choice for India but to import some wheat. The government has so far resisted calls for wheat imports - a seemingly unpopular step ahead of a general election early this year.

 

"The entire wheat crop has been flattened due to heavy rainfall and hailstorm. It was nearly mature, and we could have harvested it in two to three weeks," said Mukesh Kumar, a farmer from Uttar Pradesh.

 

The hailstorm will not only lead to production losses but will also increase harvesting expenses, Kumar said.

 

Wheat production will certainly be affected, as damage is reported in all wheat-producing states, from Punjab and Haryana in the north to Madhya Pradesh in central India, said a New Delhi-based trader with a global trade house.

 

The government recently said wheat production could rise by 1.3% from a year ago to a record 112 million tonnes, but traders now said production will be much lower than the estimate.

 

"Production could be down by at least 2-3 million tonnes just because of one week's bad weather," said a Mumbai-based trader. "Hot weather is expected in the second half of March. We don't know how much further stress it would put on the crop."

- Reuters