The Hindu : New Delhi News : “Wheat crop prospects bright”

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 20, 2007
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New Delhi

“Wheat crop prospects bright”

Sandeep Joshi

No problem in achieving target of 75.5 million tonnes in 2008: Centre

The coverage during current season expected to touch 27.5 million hectares
Loss of crop area due to moisture stress and initial higher temperature

NEW DELHI: The Centre has said wheat crop prospects for 2008 looked “satisfactory” and there would be no problem in achieving the production target of 75.5 million tonnes fixed by the Ministry of Agriculture.

As compared to the normal wheat sowing area of about 26 million hectares, the coverage during the current season is expected to touch 27.5 million hectares. This would be marginally less (about 0.5 million) than the all time record of 2006-07 of 28.04 million hectares, according to an official statement.

The Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday held a meeting to review wheat crop prospects in the ongoing Rabi season where senior government functionaries from eight major wheat growing States — Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra – participated.

In the meeting it was informed that some crop area has been lost due to moisture stress and initial higher temperature in Madhya Pradesh (Gwalior, Rewa and Sagar divisions), Uttar Pradesh (Bundelkhand region) and rain-fed areas of Rajasthan. Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Bihar would cover about two lakh hectares more area under wheat during 2007-08 as compared to 2006-07.

The farmers, especially of Punjab and Haryana, have responded favourably to the increase in the Minimum Support Price of wheat with higher coverage under the crop.

Higher productivity

The State governments’ representatives said the prevailing favourable climatic conditions and the interventions of the National Food Security Mission, especially inducing substantial higher consumption of quality seeds and nutrients, would result in higher productivity and production.

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