The Hindu Business Line : Crop looks for a wet spell

“The weather has been hot in Punjab and Haryana of late and unless we get rains by next week, wheat crop could be affected,” said Mr Vinod Kapoor, Chairman of the Wheat Products Promotion Society.

Currently, the crop is in good shape in almost all parts of the country.

“Yes, the weather is a bit hot in Punjab and Haryana. But production will be good in Punjab and Haryana even if it doesn’t rain. Uttar Pradesh could make up for any drop,” said Mr Raj Sud, a trader in Khanna.

Punjab and Haryana contributed nearly 26 million tonnes (mt) of the 78.57 mt produced last year.

“The crop in Uttar Pradesh is reported to be good. Also with sugarcane farmers shifting to wheat, we expect higher output in that State,” said Mr Sud.

Uttar Pradesh with an average output of over 25 mt a year contributes over 30 per cent of the country’s wheat production. According to the Agriculture Ministry, wheat coverage in the State increased over five per cent to nearly 100 lakh hectares (lh).

“We hear wheat production has been affected in Madhya Pradesh’s Malwa region and Gujarat,” said Mr Pramod Kumar, President of the Karnataka Roller Flour Mills Federation. As such, coverage in Madhya Pradesh, which contributes around 10 per cent to the overall wheat prdouction, is down one per cent to around 35 lh.

“But given the fact that these States play a minor role in production, the overall impact will be less,” Mr Kumar said.

Wheat production in Gujarat is expected to drop over 15 per cent to less than 3.2 mt (3.82 mt). Despite these problems, the trade sees the production around 78 mt. “Even if production drops to say 70 mt, we are unlikely to be affected as we have ample stocks,” traders said.

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