India's wheat produce may hit record 100 million tonnes

NEW DELHI: Wheat production in the country could touch a record of 100 million tonnes this year despite a slight drop in planted area provided the weather remains conducive, a leading expert in the field told ET.

"If there is no bad weather situation, wheat productivity should be 3.2 tonne per hectare, an increase of 10% over the previous year," said Indu Sharma, head of the Directorate of Wheat Research at Karnal.

India, the world's second largest wheat grower, produced 95.9 million tonnes of wheat on 29.43 hectares of land in 2013-14. The area under cultivation has slipped to 29.32 million hectares this year.

According to Sharma, Saturday's rains across north, west and central India were beneficial for the standing wheat and mustard crop. "The rains are especially beneficial for the plants sown in non-irrigated hilly and plain belts," she said. "It will ensure germination and help in plant growth."

Non-irrigated area accounts for less than 10% of the total wheat planted area.

She said sugarcane farmers who had just harvested crop in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh could carry on wheat planting till January 15.