Wheat output set to beat target as sowing gains

The agriculture ministry is confident that this year's wheat output target of 76 million tonne may be surpassed as the area planted under wheat in the current rabi season has crossed 10 million hectares today. This would reflect an increase of nearly 4 million tonne over last year's production of 72 million tonne.

Wheat sowing is still under way and the agro-climatic factors are by and large favourable for good crop stand, the ministry has said in a statement issued today.

Reports from the states received at Krishi Bhawan indicate that wheat sowing has already been completed over 10.1 million hectares this season against 7.9 million hectares till this date. The increase is accounted for higher area coverage in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Wheat sowing has outpaced last season's corresponding position by about 1.3 million hectares in Madhya Pradesh, 1.9 million hectares in Uttar Pradesh and about two lakh hectares in Rajasthan.

"If such a rising trend in the area coverage continues with weather remaining favourable, the production target is likely to be surpassed, the ministry has asserted.

Wheat is normally planted on over 26 million hectares. Last year, though the total area under wheat was marginally higher than normal, the actual production had dropped to 72 million tonnes because of emergence of some plant diseases towards the fag end of the wheat growing season.

This year, copious rainfall in the later part of the monsoon season, especially in September, had left sufficient moisture in the soil to allow extensive wheat planting in the current rabi season.

However, though there have been virtually no post-monsoon rains so far in the major north-western wheat belt, the supply of irrigation water in canals and wells is reported to be sufficient to see the crop through.