Pawar sees no big impact on wheat output due to untimely rain

The overall wheat production this year will not be hit in a big way by unseasonal rain and hailstorm that lashed key producing states in the last few days, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said today.
The Centre has estimated a record wheat production of 95.60 million tonnes for the 2013-14 crop year (July-June) as against 93.51 million tonnes last year.
"We are still assessing the crop damage... No major impact will be (there) on overall wheat production," Pawar told PTI.
A senior Agriculture Ministry official said the crop has been affected in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra by the untimely rain, wind and hailstorm.

A central team has already been despatched to assess the crop damage in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, whose state governments have sought financial aid for farmers, the official said.
In Madhya Pradesh, wheat and gram crops are damaged, while in Maharashtra it is largely horticultural crops like onion and grapes and some acres of wheat, the official added.

The official said that as per the Met Department's forecast, the untimely rain and sudden hailstorms are expected to continue till March 17 in north India, while it would end today in central India.
Agriculture Commissioner J S Sandhu had said that wheat crop had been covered in additional 61,000 hectares this year. If the damage is to the extant of 61,000 hectare, then wheat production would al teast be at last year's level.

Wheat is sown from October and harvested from April onwards.