December 5, 2011

Indian wheat heads for second-year bumper crop

The wheat harvest of India have gained pace after a sluggish start due to late rains, and the country is seen to gather plentiful yield for two years in a row, Farm Secretary P.K. Basu said Friday (Dec 2).

"Nearly 43% of wheat sowing has been completed. Weather, so far, is favorable. Water reserves are excellent and fertilisers are in place," Basu said. "There is no reason why we will not exceed the production target of 84 million tonnes."

India - the world's second-largest wheat producer - harvested 85.93 million tonnes of wheat in 2010-11, topping the production target of 80 million tonnes for the year.