The Hindu Business Line : Wheat output estimated to touch 72.50 m tonnes

Advertisement

New Delhi Feb. 6 Despite a record 282 lakh hectares being planted under the crop, the Agriculture Ministry has projected this year's wheat output at a modest 72.50 million tonnes (mt). The 72.50 mt figure, as per the "second advance estimate" released here on Tuesday, is higher than the 69.35 mt of 2005-06, but way below the all-time-high 76.37 mt achieved in 1999-2000. It is also lower than the initial 73.06 mt "second advance estimate" of 2005-06, which got pruned by 3.71 mt over subsequent estimates.

Conservative outlook

"This time, they have chosen to be conservative. It is better perhaps to err on the negative side and not make bumper projections that may have to be revised downwards as it happened last time," traders said. It is a combination of above-normal temperatures in the Indo-Gangetic plain and moisture stress in central India (where the crop is mainly rain-fed) that is keeping officials and the trade on tenterhooks now.

The Ministry has estimated total foodgrain production during 2006-07 at 209.17 mt, marginally higher than the 208.59 mt last year but below the peak 213.19 mt of 2003-04. The country's output of most grains have been virtually stagnant in the past few years with 2001-02 being the record year for rice (93.34 mt), 1989-90 for jowar (12.90 mt), 1992-93 for bajra (8.88 mt), and 2003-04 for maize (14.98 mt) and pulses (14.91 mt).

Oilseeds production for 2006-07 is estimated to fall to 236.19 lakh tonnes from last year's peak of 279.79 lt. The decline has been mainly on account of groundnut (down 35.82 lt over 2005-06) and rapeseed-mustard (down 5.63 lt), even as this year's soyabean output is reckoned to have reached a high of 86.82 lt.

Cotton, sugarcane

But the two crops that have really done well this year are cotton and sugarcane, the production of both breaking past records. In fact, cotton is probably the only farm crop that has witnessed a genuine productivity breakthrough in recent times, thanks to the diffusion of Bt technology. Since 2002-03, cotton output soared almost two-and-a-half times to touch 209.64 lakh bales of 170 kgs each this year.

More Stories on : Wheat | Foodgrains | Pulses | Oilseeds & Edible Oil

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
NMCE alters norms for cumin seed futures

Futures trading in soya turns bearish

Central India holds key to wheat production

Wheat output estimated to touch 72.50 m tonnes

Reliance Fresh stores in Kolkata by next month

Plantation Corpn draws up new plans

Pala society gets `Export House Status'

Spot rubber rules weak

Govt raises sugarcane crop estimate

Indian tea delegation to visit Pak in April

International olive oil body bullish on India

Pepper prices likely to scale new heights

Crude, gold prices may move up further

Lower wheat crop to spark price spike