Wheat crop on track: Govt

The prospects of wheat crop in the ongoing rabi season is satisfactory in terms of area coverage and expected production, said a government release. Production is expected to touch 75.5 million tonnes against 74.89 million tonnes last year, if the favourable weather continues.

P K Mishra, the Union agriculture secretary today held a meeting with the principal secretaries (Agriculture) and directors of agriculture of 8 major wheat growing states- -Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra""to review the wheat crop prospects.

On the basis of the presentation made by the states, the government has concluded that wheat crop prospects were satisfactory in terms of area coverage and likely production.

Compared with the normal wheat area of about 26 million hectares, the coverage during 2007-08 is expected to touch 27.5 million hectares. This would be marginally less than the all-time record of 28.04 million hectares in 2006-07.

However, the crop area is currently being lost due to moisture stress and the initial high temperature in Madhya Pradesh (Gwalior, Rewa and Sagar Divisions), Uttar Pradesh (Bundelkhand region) and rainfed areas of Rajasthan. As of December 14, wheat was sown on 20.36 million hectares, down by almost 12 per cent from the last year's corresponding acreage of 23.44 million hectares.

The farmers, particularly in Punjab and Haryana, have responded favourably to the increased minimum support price (Rs 1,000 a quintal versus Rs 750 last year) of wheat and planted more areas under the crop.

The states of Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Bihar are together expected to cover about 200,000 hectares additional area under wheat compared with last year.

State governments were of the opinion that the prevailing favourable climatic conditions and the interventions of the National Food Security Mission would result in higher productivity and production.

"They are confident that if the weather conditions remain favourable , there would be no problem in achieving the production target of 75.5 million tones fixed by the Government of India," the release said.