India likely to have 40 mn tonnes of wheat stocks by June

With India poised to harvest record wheat crop, country's buffer stock of wheat may touch 40 million tonnes by the end of June this year said S. Nagarajan, chairperson, Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmer's Rights Authority, union ministry of agriculture.

India, the season largest producer of wheat in the country, is heading towards a bumper wheat production, which would result into better procurement by the government. As on January, India's buffer stock is around 22 million tonnes, which is more than the recommended norms.

"The buffer stock would touch to 40 million tonnes by the end June," he said while speaking at two-day conference on "Wheat and Wheat Products-Towards Millennium Development Goals" at Ahmedabad. However, he also mentioned that wheat procurement by the government this season may be lower than the previous year, which witnessed procurement of 25 million tonnes by the government.

Cold weather is good for the growth of wheat crop. "This year India saw one the best winters it could," he added. Punjab and Haryana, the two major wheat growing states in the country, have witnessed favourable temperatures from January to mid-February. The prospects also look up for wheat crop in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

If hailstorms or rains do not hamper the wheat crop in March, the cold weather would make wheat yield robust. "We would be able to have additional 2 to 3 million tonnes of additional wheat if the weather remains favourable. Extension of cold for one day increases the yield by 40 kg per hectare," he revealed.

On the back of favourable weather condition and increase in area under wheat cultivation, India is heading towards a bumper wheat production.

India is estimated to have wheat output of 82 million tonnes in 2009-10 up from 80.85 million tonnes in 2008-09. 

As per the data available with the union agriculture ministry, the area brought under wheat cultivation has increased to 27.75 million hectares in 2009-10 from 27.58 million hectares in the corresponding year.