The record wheat production in the country estimated for this year is largely on back of a bumper harvest in the main producing state of Uttar Pradesh, which is forecast to produce about 30 million tonnes of the grain.
Wheat production in Uttar Pradesh this year is estimated to cross 30 million tonnes, an increase by over 9% compared to the last year, on the back of good weather conditions.
Wheat output in the state stood at 27.5 million tonnes in 2009-10.
"Wheat output in Uttar Pradesh is estimated to touch 30 million tonnes this year largely due to good weather conditions in February and March," Director Agriculture, Uttar Pradesh, Mukesh Gautam, told PTI over phone.
He also pointed to timely distribution of farm inputs to the growers as a reason behind the bumper wheat crop in the most populous state.
Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of wheat in the country contributing over 34% of nation's total output. It is followed by Punjab and Haryana.
About 92.59 lakh hectares area is under wheat cultivation in the state.
India, the second largest producer of wheat, is tipped to produce a record 84.27 milllion tonnes of wheat in 2010-11 crop year (July-June), according to the Agriculture Ministry's third advance estimates. The wheat output in the country in 2009-10 was 80.8 million tonnes.
With expected high wheat output, India is standing as an exception in the gloomy wheat cultivation scenario in the world at present where major producing countries like China, the US and Russia are witnessing substantial decline in output of the crop this year.
