Barring a few districts in Rajasthan, there is no concern over the condition of the wheat crop so far this year in all the growing States. Farmers are expecting the yield to be at least 10 per cent higher than last year.
The government has estimated wheat production to exceed 115 million tonnes (mt), while millers expect it to be around 110 mt. Some in the trade, however, are not willing to buy both numbers, saying the production could be 104-106 mt only.
Timely sowing and planting of varieties that can tackle climate change are attributed to the good condition of the crop. Government officials said nearly 67 per cent of the area under wheat has been covered by new varieties to withstand the vagaries of the climate.
“A Central team is already visiting the affected districts (Jhalawar and Pratapgarh) of Rajasthan and the government may soon relax the fair average quality norms to help procurement gain momentum also in those areas where the crop has started arriving. Due to shrivelled grain, wheat in some areas of the State are currently sold below minimum support price (MSP),” an official source in Jaipur said.
Harvest on
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have announced a bonus over and above the MSP of ₹2,425/quintal. As a result, the average wheat prices in neighbouring Gujarat are ruling around ₹2,550/quintal. The wheat crop starts arriving earlier in these three States, while in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh it picks up after mid-April.
Sources said wheat harvesting has been completed in 30 per cent of the wheat area in Gujarat, 20 per cent in Madhya Pradesh and about 10 per cent in Rajasthan. The Rajasthan government has procured about 40 tonnes soon after launching the purchase. Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are expected to begin procurement from the weekend.
Farmers across wheat growing States and agriculture scientists are unanimous about higher production than last year as per the current crop condition.
Looking good in MP, Rajasthan
Sunil Mukhati, a farmer from Dewas in Madhya Pradesh, was happy harvesting his wheat crop on Thursday. There are two reasons. First, open market prices for his superior quality wheat used for making rotis (flat bread or chapattis) are ruling around ₹2,800-3,000 a quintal. Second, the yield is higher this year compared to last year.
“I may get 2-2.5 tonnes per acre this year. Last year, I got 1.5-1.6 tonnes. I went for varieties that can withstand climate change,” he told businessline over phone. Mukahti also said farmers in his neighbourhood and across the State are reporting a good crop. “We planted our crop early this year,” he said.
Similarly, Anand Singh Anjana of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh said he planned to harvest the crop in the next two weeks. “My crop looks good, and I expect better yield this year,” he said.
Sukhvider Pal Singh, a farmer in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan, said the crop is in very good shape and will be harvested soon. There is no report of any shrivelling of grain from any place in the district as well as in neighbouring districts, he said.
Using sea route
“The expectation is that price will not fall below what is prevailing now as both MP and Rajasthan are paying bonuses. While stockists are active, there is also demand from flour millers from Kerala who have been buying wheat from Gujarat via sea route,” said Bhavesh Kotecha, a grain trader from Gujarat.
Flour millers from Karnataka, who purchase wheat from Madhya Pradesh at ₹2,950-3,000 per quintal (mill-gate delivery) said they would prefer to bring the grain either by rail or road than via sea as logistics costs are high to move from Mangalore. Besides, the port is also not so efficient compared to other ports.
The government has set a target to procure 31.27 mt of wheat in the 2025-26 procurement season. Of this, 12.4 mt has been fixed for Punjab, 7.5 mt for Haryana, 6 mt for Madhya Pradesh, 3 mt for Uttar Pradesh and 2 mt for Rajasthan.
(With inputs from Subramani Ra Mancombu, Chennai)
