UP wheat acreage declines 40%

Delay in cane harvesting has affected sowing in the state

The delay in crushing by sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh has resulted in a decline of almost 40 per cent in the state's wheat acreage. The resultant delay in sowing could significantly impact the wheat output in the country's largest wheat producing state, according to experts.

About 1.29 million hectares of wheat were sown in UP as on November 23 compared with 2.15 million hectares in the corresponding period last year.

"There is a problem of delayed sowing in the sugarcane-growing belt of UP, particularly in the western districts. Whenever wheat is sown after November 25, there is a yield loss of 25-30 kg a hectare on a daily basis. If sowing is delayed by one week, after November 25, the loss could be around 2 quintals a hectare", said B Mishra, project director at the Directorate of Wheat Research, Karnal.

The delay in cane harvesting, caused by the late crushing, has affected sowing in UP. This is mainly due to the unwillingness of mills to run at Rs 125-130, which is the state advised price (SAP) for sugarcane, per quintal. On November 15, the Allahabad High Court set an interim price of Rs 110 a quintal following petitions by several sugar mills challenging the SAP. Most mills are likely to start crushing by the month end.

The country's total area under wheat stood at 8 million hectares as on November 23, down about 23 per cent over last year's corresponding acreage of 10.44 million hectares. The total acreage under wheat was a record 27.98 million hectares in the last rabi season and the production stood at 74.89 million tonnes.

According to Mishra, the acreage is certain to be higher than last year as the

minimum support price of wheat to be purchased next year has been hiked to Rs 1,000 a quintal from Rs 750 a quintal. But output will depend on a host of climatic factors in January and February.

However, the agriculture ministry has made an initial projection of 71.78 million tonnes output this time, down 4.1 per cent from last year's fourth advance estimate of 74.89 million tonnes. The projection of 71.78 million tonnes was given by the agriculture minister Sharad Pawar in an answer to a parliamentary question on Friday.

If the projection turns out to be true, the government may need to import wheat for the third year in a row. In 2006, the government imported 5.5 million tonnes and has contracted about 1.6 million tonnes in the current year so far.