Posted on March, 15, 2023 at 08:28 am
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday said there has not been any adverse effect so far on wheat crop due to higher than normal temperatures prevailing in the last few weeks.
“Weather-related challenges are always there in front of agriculture and it would be premature to say anything about the impact of higher temperature on wheat,” Tomar said on the sidelines of an event.
Currently, wheat harvesting has commenced in many parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. However, large scale harvesting of crops will commence from March 20 onwards, especially in Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
Last month, the government had formed a committee to monitor the situation arising out of any unusual rise in temperature and its impact on the wheat crop, and also to issue necessary advisories to the farming community to save the crop.
Gyanendra Singh, director, Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, a Karnal-based institute, also member of committee set up by agriculture ministry for monitoring of wheat crop last week had said crop condition of wheat is currently robust and harvesting of early sown varieties have commenced.
For the current crop year (2022-23), the government has estimated a record wheat harvest of 112.18 million tonne (MT). Total area under wheat crop has risen by only 0.13 million hectare (MH) to 34.32 MH in the current crop year from the year-ago period.
Despite anticipating a record output of wheat in the 2021-22 seas
on (July-June), the standing crop was adversely impacted because of excessive wheat wave in the middle of March last year just prior to harvesting season which resulted in shriveled grain.
The wheat production in the 2021-22 crop year (July-June) had declined marginally to 107.7 MT from 109.6 MT in the previous year. Trade sources however pegged the wheat production at around 96 – 99 MT.
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Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department on Tuesday while stating development of a western disturbance, has predicted light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm and hail storms likely over Maharashtra, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh in the next two days.
In its advisory to farmers, the met department has urged them to carry out harvesting of matured mustard, chickpea and vegetables in north, west and central India, wheat, mustard and pulses in Madhya Pradesh and wheat, pulses and grapes in Maharashtra at the earliest and store them in safe places.
Source: Financial Express