FCI wheat procurement 5% lower than last year

High heat in Indo-Gangetic plains leads to lower output.

With buying almost over, Food Corporation of India (FCI), the government’s grain procurement agency, is heading for a near five per cent shortfall this year, as compared to last year. According to sources in FCI, procurement till May 23 was 22.17 million tonnes against 23.24 mt last year.

The unprecedented heat in the Indo-Gangetic belt in March took a toll, said experts, with the result that output in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh fell short of the earlier projections. Arrivals have now stopped in these states, where almost all the buying is done for wheat.

Quick arrivals in these states in the first half of April had raised hopes of record procurement. But, arrivals slowed in the second half. Uttar Pradesh seems to be the worst hit due to the sudden rise in temperature, as total procurement fell from 2.6 mt in the rabi season of 2009 to 1.5 mt this season. Punjab and Haryana saw a drop of 5,50,000 tonnes and 5,00,000 tonnes, respectively. Punjab contributed 10.7 mt last season, which fell to 10.17 mt this season. Similarly, procurement in Haryana fell to 6.3 mt this season from 6.89 mt last year.

The fall was compensated substantially by Madhya Pradesh. The state recorded a substantial rise of about 1.8 mt and sent 3.4 mt to the central pool from 1.67 mt last year.

Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttarakhand also recorded lesser procurement. Procurement in Rajasthan was about 1,07,000 tonnes this season as compared to 4,72,000 tonnes last year, a substantial fall. Bihar and Uttarakhand recorded a fall from 1,01,000 tonnes to 23,000 tonnes and from 86,000 tonnes to just 10,000 tonnes, respectively.

FCI supplies 1.5 mt wheat every month for the public distribution system. Besides, 1.6 mt is for various government relief schemes. FCI had a stock of about 15.6 mt on March 31. With the current procurement, the total stock should reach 35.4 mt.

Severe heat could trim UP wheat output
NewsWire18 adds: The key wheat growing state of Uttar Pradesh is likely to produce 28 million tonnes (mt) of the grain in the current rabi harvest season, down 500,000 tonnes from last year, as a severe heat wave has shrunk grain size and reduced its weight, state government officials said today.

"As of now, it appears we will produce 28 mt in the current harvest season ending June 15," Uttar Pradesh, director, agriculture, JP Tripathi said.

Last year, the northern state had produced wheat in excess of 28.5 mt, government data showed.

"The severe heat wave at the time of the harvest of the crop has impacted grain size. In the current harvest, the grain has shrivelled by 15-20 per cent of its original size and this will lead to a significant drop in output by weight," he said.

The official said despite the shrivelled grain, the crop is fit for human consumption.

A report by international research agency Martell Projections had earlier this month said wheat yield in Uttar Pradesh could be 35 per cent lower than normal as high temperatures in March-April had hit grain filling in the late-sown crop.

Wheat needs temperatures around 30-32 degrees Celsius during the grain-filling stage for optimum production, while this year temperatures were more than 36 degrees due to the severe heat wave over north west India.