Record wheat crop and high stocks to help India meet rising global demand

• Bumper harvests and overflowing grain bins will help India to meet wheat import needs of the world's top buyers.

Wheat Production in India

• Wheat is the main cereal crop in India.
• The total area under the crop is about 29.8 million hectares in the country.
• The production of wheat in the country has increased significantly.
• The major increase in the productivity of wheat has been observed in the states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
• Higher area coverage is reported from MP in recent years.
• Indian wheat is largely a soft/medium hard, medium protein, white bread wheat, somewhat similar to U.S. hard white wheat.
• Wheat grown in central and western India is typically hard, with high protein and high gluten content.

India’s Wheat production & export statistics

• India's wheat exports crossed 70 lakh tonnes in 2021-22 as against 21.55 lakh tonnes in 2020-21.
• India is now the world's second biggest wheat producer & prepared to meet any extra demand for wheat from buyers in south Asia and Southeast Asia.
• India is in a comfortable position to meet requests from wheat importing countries.
• This year's production pegged at a record 111.32 million tonnes - making it the sixth season in a row that the country has produced a surplus.

Domestic Needs

• India needs at least 25 million tonnes of wheat each year to run a food welfare programme.
• Last year, the government bought a record 43.34 million tonnes of wheat from domestic farmers, substantially higher than the amount it needs for the welfare programme.
• Now private traders are offering farmers a higher price for wheat than the government's price.
• Wheat stocks at government warehouses totalled 19 million tonnes on April 1, significantly higher than a target of 7.46 million tonnes.

Sugar Exports

• India's sugar exports are expected at a record 8.2 million tonnes in the current 2021-22 season.
• Indian sugar mills have already contracted to export around 7 million tonnes in 2021-22.
• India's sugar inventories are expected at around 7 million tonnes against 8.2 million tonnes in Oct. 2021.
• This year's (sugar) production is at a record of almost 35 million tonnes(domestic requirement is about 26-26.5 million tonnes)

Conclusion

India needs to take steps for other commodities also which are being imported such as palm oil, refined oil etc. These initiatives to be taken accordingly which vary from region to region.

Exam Track

Prelims Takeaway

• Wheat Production in India
• Wheat export by India
• Sugar export by India

Mains Takeaway

Q. India’s current Wheat exports to the world and fulfilling the food demand at the time of need is positioning India as an agriculture giant, Evaluate. Also discuss how wheat export will also help other agriculture produce to grow in the world market.