Page 3 - Wheat

Wheat stocks in govt warehouses at 16-year low after record state sale

At the start of the month wheat reserves in state stores totalled 26 million metric tons, down from 29 million metric tons in May 2023, according to the state-run Food Corporation of India

Govt buys 19.6 mn tonne wheat, more than annual demand for welfare schemes

The government has bought over 196 lakh tonne of wheat so far in the ongoing 2024-25 marketing year, surpassing its annual requirement of 186 lakh tonne for all welfare schemes including the National Food Security Act. Now, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) -- the government's nodal agency for procurement and distribution of foodgrains -- is making efforts to meet its target of buying 310-320 lakh tonne in the 2024-25 marketing year to augment buffer stocks and keep surplus grains for making intervention in the open market, if needed, to control retail prices. Procurement of wheat, a major rabi (winter-sown) crop, is down 11 per cent so far from 219.5 lakh tonne in the same period last year. This is mainly due to lower purchases in Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. "Government's procurement is going on smoothly, Till now, we have procured 196 lakh tonne whereas the annual requirement of Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare schemes is 186 lakh tonne," FCI CMD

Flour millers' survey predicts better wheat production over last year

Flour millers' estimate of 105.79 mt differs from the govt's 2024-25 projection of wheat production at 112 mt

Govt asks traders to avoid buying new-season wheat to shore up state stocks

India, the world's biggest wheat consumer and grower after China, banned exports in 2022 and is keen to bolster stocks and tame prices that surged after dry weather hurt output in 2022 and 2023

Wheat inventories hit 7-year low at 9.7 MT after record state sale

Wheat reserves in state stores totalled 9.7 million tons at the start of this month, down from 11.7 million tons in March 2022, the state-run Food Corporation of India said

Untimely rainfall, hailstorms batter wheat, chickpeas, other winter crops

Adverse weather could limit growth in wheat production and complicate the government's efforts to build stocks

No impact of MSP turmoil on wheat buying: Food secy Sanjeev Chopra

The wheat procurement season usually starts from April 1 in most parts of the country but in the coming season the government has given freedom to the states to advance the purchase dates

World food price index falls near three-year lows in January, shows data

Global coarse grain output was pegged at an all-time high of 1.523 billion tons, following a 12-million-ton upward adjustment this month

Govt sells 7.1 mn tonnes wheat in open mkt to keep prices under control

The government on Wednesday said 71.01 lakh tonnes of wheat and 1.62 lakh tonnes of rice have been sold through auction so far in the open market to keep prices under control. "In order to increase the availability of wheat and rice in the open market and to control the prices of wheat and rice, the Government has been offloading wheat and rice in the market through weekly e-auction from June 28, 2023," an official statement said. A total of 101.5 lakh tonnes of wheat and 25 lakh tonnes of rice have been allocated by the central government for offloading under the Open Market Sale Scheme. Wheat is being offered at a reserve price of Rs 2,150 per quintal for Fair and Average Quality (FAQ) and Rs 2125 per quintal for Under Relaxed Specifications (URS). The reserve price of rice is being kept at Rs 2,900 per quintal. Till January 24, 2024, 71.01 LMT wheat has been sold under OMSS. The first e-auction of rice under OMSS for 2023-24 was held on July 5, 2023. Till January 24, 2024, 1.62

Cold snap helps India's wheat crop but warm weather forecasts pose risk

A long cold spell helped wheat during its vegetative growth, but a rise in temperatures, expected in the next few days, could impact the crop during the crucial grain formation stage

No proposal to lift export curbs on wheat, rice, sugar, says Piyush Goyal

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said there is no proposal before the government as of now to lift export curbs on wheat, rice and sugar. He also said the country will not import wheat and sugar. "There is no proposal as of now to remove export restrictions on wheat, rice and sugar. And India will not import wheat and sugar," Goyal told reporters. India had banned wheat exports in May 2022, non-basmati rice exports from July 2023 and extended curbs on sugar exports beyond October 2023, as part of measures to control rising domestic prices.

Printing 'date of mfg', 'sale price' on packaged items mandatory from Jan 1

Printing the 'date of manufacturing' and 'unit sale price' has become mandatory on all packaged commodities effective from Monday, according to Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh. Earlier, companies were given the option to either print the 'date of manufacturing' or 'date of import' or date of packaging on the packaged commodities. Now, companies have been mandated to print only the 'date of manufacturing', along with the 'unit sale price', as per the latest notification issued by the Consumer Affairs Ministry. "Since packaged items are sold in different quantities, it is important that consumers are aware about the 'unit sale price' of what is packed and make an informed purchase decision," the consumer affairs secretary told PTI. Printing the date of manufacturing will help consumers know how old the packaged item is and help them make conscious purchase decisions. Similarly, the printing of unit sale price will make it easy for consumers to ascertain the cost in unit

Wheat sowing improved, acreage nears last year's level; chana still down

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its latest weather update said that till January 4 there is no possibility of major cold wave in any part of the country

'Wheat sown in 30.86 mn HA, climate resilient seeds planted in 60% area'

After facing loss due to terminal heatwave last year, more farmers are cultivating climate resilient wheat varieties which has been sown in more than 60 per cent of the planted area of 30.86 million hectares so far, according to agriculture commissioner P K Singh. Wheat is the main rabi (winter) crop, sowing of which normally begins in November and harvesting is done from March-April. As per the agriculture ministry data, wheat sown area stood at 30.86 million hectares till December 22 of the ongoing rabi season, slightly lower than 31.44 million hectares in the year-ago period. "This is because there was a delay in wheat sowing in some parts where paddy harvesting got late. Otherwise, wheat sowing is progressing well," Singh told PTI. Keeping in mind the terminal heat problem that wheat farmers faced last year, the government this year has promoted climate resilient wheat varieties and kept a target to cover 60 per cent of the total cropped area, he said. "We have exceeded the ta

Wheat sowing tops normal acreage for first time, gram continues to drag

Govt allows import of edible oil, masur at nil duty till March 2025

'Indian agri trade curbs to cut exports by $4 bn, Red Sea attacks a risk'

The world's second-largest producer of wheat, rice and sugar, India has restricted exports of these commodities to rein in rising domestic prices

Agriculture exports likely to reach $53 bn in FY24: Commerce ministry

India's agriculture exports this fiscal are expected to reach the last year's level of USD 53 billion despite restrictions imposed on shipments of certain key commodities, including rice, wheat and sugar, according to a senior government official. In 2022-23, the country's agri exports stood at USD 53 billion. "We expect that we would reach that level in spite of USD 4.5 billion-USD 5 billion impact due to the restrictions," Additional Secretary in the commerce ministry Rajesh Agrawal told reporters here on Thursday. The government has prohibited exports of wheat and non-basmati white rice and has imposed curbs on sugar exports. He said the government is promoting exports of new products like bananas and value-added millet products to new global destinations. "In the next three years, we are hoping to increase banana exports to USD 1 billion," he said. Exports of fruits and vegetables, cereals, meat, dairy and poultry products registered a healthy growth rate during ...

Per-acre expenditure cost of wheat, rice should be reduced: Nitin Gadkari

"In our country, the per-acre expenditure is more. So firstly, we need to reduce our per-acre expenditure cost," Gadkari said while addressing the Millionaire Farmer of India Awards 2023

Congress slams wheat policy, says poor suffering due to PM's 'showmanship'

The Congress on Tuesday attacked the Centre over its policy on wheat export and import, alleging that due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "showmanship", the poor people have suffered. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X which claimed that India may allow import of Russian wheat to mitigate the rising domestic wheat prices ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. In a post in Hindi on X, Ramesh said, "Last year, to shore up his image, the Prime Minister had claimed that India is capable of feeding the world. He gave free rein to export of wheat." "Then wheat crisis occurred in our own country. By the end of 2022, wheat stocks reached a 15-year low. When the situation worsened, exports were banned. Now there is news that the government is considering importing wheat," the Congress leader said. Meanwhile, the prices of wheat products, including flour, in the country increased by 50 per cent, he claimed. Ramesh said there have also been reports of rice being giv

Govt permits NCEL to export 900k tonnes rice, 35k tonnes wheat products

National Cooperative Exports Ltd (NCEL) has been allowed to export nearly 9 lakh tonnes of broken rice and about 35,000 tonnes of wheat and wheat products to various countries. According to a recent gazette notification, the government has permitted export of 34,736 tonne of wheat and wheat products and 8,98,804 tonnes of broken rice. Of the total wheat and wheat products export, NCEL has been allowed to export 15,226 tonnes of maida/semolina, 14,184 tonnes of wheat grain, 5,326 tonnes of wheat flour and 48,804 tonnes of broken rice to Bhutan this year. In case of broken rice, the cooperative has been permitted to export 5 lakh tonnes of the grain to Senegal and 50,000 tonnes to Gambia in six month, the notification said. NCEL has been allowed to export about 2 lakh tonnes of broken rice to Indonesia and 1 lakh tonnes to Mali. India otherwise has banned wheat and broken exports since last year as a measure to check domestic inflation. However, some exports are allowed on a ...