MP might pip Punjab in FY14 wheat production

Bhopal officials say multi-pronged strategy to boost cultivation and control farming costs is paying dividends

The country's wheat crop is expected to be higher than last year if the weather remains consistent. The interest this year is in who will be the second biggest producing state - Punjab, the traditional one in this position, or Madhya Pradesh.

According to Indu Sharma, Director, Wheat Research Institute, Karnal: "Total production might touch 100 million tonnes (mt) if good weather conditions prevail. Last year, we had 92.45 mt."

Uttar Pradesh remains the top producing state, due to its large area under cultivation. In 2012-13, it produced 30.3 mt of wheat, followed by Punjab's 16.1 mt and MP's 13.1 mt. The third ranker is, riding on a strategy to boost agriculture production in general, hoping to surpass Punjab in wheat this year.

According to a senior official of the state's farmer welfare and agriculture department, "With assured canal irrigation, covering fallow land under cultivation, warehousing and infrastructure, credit management, agriculture extension and technology, fertiliser supply management and, above all, regular electricity supply, we expect this year we will produce 19.2 mt wheat against last year's 16.1 mt (it claims this figure, saying the Centre refused to accept this and pegged last year at only 13.1 mt)."

M M Upadhyay, agriculture production commissioner in Bhopal, said said the state had expected 17.5 mt of wheat production this year but, "this might go up to 19 mt if conditions remain favourable".

MP says in the past seven years, seed replacement rates have gone up from 14 per cent to 25 per cent. Also, reduced interest rates (zero per cent for short-term agri loans) and an investment of Rs 7,052 crore on power rate subsidy had reduced the input cost in wheat cultivation. Indu Sharma says some increase is also expected from Punjab and Haryana, as yellow rust disease and rains in the latter state last year had both hit output. She said the country's total area under wheat was expected to increase in 2013-14.