News
07.12.2009
Indian wheat output likely to be higher
India's wheat output is likely to be higher than last year's record 80.6 million tonnes, Farm Minister Sharad Pawar said, ruling out large imports by the world's second-biggest consumer and producer of the commodity. As at November 26, wheat had been sown on 13.7 million hectares, which is 5 percent more than the crop area a year ago, data showed, and planting runs until the end of 2009.
"Wheat area in some states has improved. This year output will probably surpass that of last year," Pawar told parliament on Friday. Last month, Pawar said India hoped its wheat harvest would be about 2 million tonnes higher than the previous harvest because of government efforts to boost output after the weakest monsoon since 1972 ravaged summer-sown crops such as rice and oilseeds. India produced 80.6 million tonnes of wheat from the 2008/09 crop that was harvested from March this year, creating a huge surplus which the country wanted to export before the poor monsoon encouraged the government to ban shipments.
Reuters
