Wheat production to hit all-time high

Prolonged winter in northern India, rising global demand and government’s thrust are expected to push up the country’s wheat, cotton and pulses production to a record level this year, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said on Tuesday.

India’s wheat production is estimated to reach an all-time high of 81.47 million tonne. Overall foodgrain is expected to rise to 232.07 million tonne this year, marginally below the record production of 234.47 million tonne achieved in 2008-09.

“Such high level of production has been achieved despite significant crop damage due to widespread drought in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal and the effects of cyclones, unseasonal and heavy rains and severe cold wave and frost conditions in the several parts of the country,” Pawar said after releasing the second advance estimates of crop production for 2010-11.

The production of pulses and cotton are also expected to reach record of 16.51 million tonne and 33.9 million bale (one bale is 170 kg), respectively.

“Due to record pulses production, our imports would decline significantly this year,” Pawar said. The annual domestic consumption of pulses is around 18 million tonne while production had been around 15 million tonne till last year.

In case of cotton, because of global and domestic demand, the farmers have been getting highest prices this season. Rice output is also projected to rise to 94.01 million tonne against 89.09 million tonne during the last crop year. Last year, rice output had declined by over 10 million tonne due to drought, which had severely hit the country.

On plummeting onion prices across mandis in Nashik, the hub of onion trade, Pawar said onion production would be less this year as compared to last year, but the output would be sufficient to meet the country’s requirement. “A situation may arise that onion exports could be allowed with some cap on quantity,” he said

This year onion output is likely to be lower at 12.2 million tonne against 13.6 million tonne last year.

On the sugarcane growers’ concerns on falling prices amid expected higher sugar output exceeding demand this year, Pawar said there were ‘apprehension that cane arrears might rise.” On the sugar exports front, he said “Let commerce ministry and others assess the situation. One has to see how we will be able to protect the interest of our own consumers first and after that if there is surplus availability”

Pawar noted that said the international market was favourable for sugar export, fetching one very good price.

(Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/wheat-production-to-hit-alltime-high/748116/0)