Centre targets 114 million tonnes of wheat output next rabi season

Sowing of wheat, the main rabi (winter) crop, begins in October, while harvesting starts in March and April

The Centre has fixed a target of producing 114 million tonnes of wheat in the forthcoming rabi season, which is 1.3 million tonnes more than the 2022-23 production of 112.7 million tonnes (according to the third advance estimate).

It has also targeted to bring around 60 per cent of the total wheat area of 30 million hectares under climate-resistant varieties amid strong El Nino conditions this year.

The targets were fixed at the two-day conference on rabi preparations, which was held on Tuesday along with the states.

For chana (which is the biggest pulse grown during the rabi season), the government has fixed a target of producing 13.55 million tonnes. In 2022-23, total chana production was 13.54 million tonnes.

Sowing of wheat, the main rabi (winter) crop, begins in October, while harvesting starts around March-April.

Addressing the conference, Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja said, “There are certain changes in the climate, which are affecting agriculture. Our strategy is climate-resilient seeds.”

Faced with a heat wave in 2021, the government encouraged farmers in 2022 to opt for heat-tolerant wheat varieties in 47 per cent of the total wheat acreage of 30 million hectares.

“We are targeting to increase the coverage of area under heat-tolerant wheat varieties to 60 per cent this year,” Ahuja told PTI. He urged states to encourage farmers to grow heat-resistant varieties.

While addressing the event, the secretary said more than 800 climate-resistant varieties are available in the country. These seeds need to be put in the seed chain as part of the seed rolling plan.

“As a strategy, I request all states to identify specific areas and map varieties that can be sown,” he added.

Calling upon states to be prepared to tackle changing climate patterns, the secretary said, “If the pattern of rainfall and temperature keep changing, then it will affect agriculture.”

“We have seen how rainfall patterns are changing. We had a deficit in June and a surplus in July. It was dry in August and again wet in September. As a result, there is a five per cent rainfall deficit in the country.”

There is also a severe deficit in reservoirs in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, and Karnataka compared to the 10-year average, he noted.

Taking into consideration the reservoir levels and ground resources, Ahuja said the state governments should plan for the rabi season.

“There is still monsoon expected in October and November in certain states. The Met department is still saying El Nino conditions are strong. It would be predicting and I think you should be ready. States should keep this in mind while preparing for the rabi season,” he added.

The secretary said the government is ready with a contingency plan for 450 villages.

The ministry is working on a framework that will be rolled out across villages to help farmers understand the impact of climate change and how to deal with it.

He also asked states to focus on narrowing down the yield gap in pulses while also stressing the need to share accurate farm data for estimating foodgrains production.

Echoing concerns, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Director General Himanshu Pathak said the council has developed over 2,200 crop varieties, out of which 800 are climate resilient.