Icar Chief Sees Wheat Output At 68 Million Tonnes

Despite delayed sowing due to unprecedented rains during the wheat season this year, countrys wheat production will not be affected and may touch 68 million tonnes this year.

Despite considerable delay in sowing, we are all set to achieve about 68 million tonnes of wheat harvest this year, R S Paroda, Indian Council of Agriculture Research director told newspersons yesterday.

Paroda was conferred with the Padma Bhushan yesterday for his contributions to agricultural science.

Although the unseasonal rains did cause concern and Indian food security is heavily dependent on wheat production, Indian scientists used the countrys wide range of wheat varieties that can adapt to different climate types and are disease resistant to deal with the situation. Paroda said heavy precipitation in salt-affected regions was, in fact, welcome, as the salt in the soil leached down the plant root zone.

 

Similarly, heavy rains were good for early sown crops and those grown under rainfed conditions. Paroda said Indias wheat production touched 68.7 million tonnes last year, creating a buffer stock of 15 million tonnes. With the cabinet decision to fix the minimum support price of wheat at Rs 510 per quintal for the current marketing season, we should hope for a much happier situation, he said.

Last years wheat production in the country has surpassed that of the US, making India the second largest producer of wheat after China which produces 102 million tonnes per year.

The country can become the worlds largest wheat producer in the next 20-25 years, Paroda projected.

Paroda said India is possibly the only country in the world to increase wheat productivity more than four times within 50 years. The countrys wheat yield is now 10 times higher than the figure at the time of independence.

Wheat productivity has increased from 0.6 tonnes per hectare at the time of independence to 2.7 tonnes per hectare now.

Similarly, maize productivity has more than trebled from 0.5 tonnes per hectare 50 years ago to 1.7 tonnes per hectare last year.

Paroda estimated that with Indias population expected to reach 1.3 billion by 2020, the projected demand for wheat will be 109 million tonnes and 20 million tonnes for maize.

There is still a large untapped yield potential in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where current wheat yields are still 1.7-2.7 tonnes per hectare, and maize yields 1.1-1.6 tonnes per hectare, he said.