Low procurement of wheat doesn't mean output is less: Govt

A drop in wheat procurement in 2015-16 does not necessarily mean that production has also been low, according to agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh. There have been instances in the past, too, when production has fallen by a smaller percentage while procurement dropped by a bigger proportion, he said.
 
Replying to questions over wheat production estimates of 2015-16, which many experts have questioned for being on the higher side, Singh said here on Thursday that in 2011-12 and 2012-13, wheat production fell by 1.44 per cent, while procurement during the same period dropped by 34 per cent.
 
“So, procurement of wheat for the central pool and its overall production is not always inter-linked,” Singh said while addressing reporters on the achievements of his ministry over the past 30 months.