India's wheat sowing surges; may set new record: USDA

NEW DELHI: Total area sown under wheat crop this year in India is expected to surpass the previous record of 29.9 million hectares in 2012-13, a USDA report has said.

Meanwhile, as per the Agriculture Ministry's data, wheat - a key winter (rabi) crop - has been already sown in 28.69 million hectares. Wheat sowing begins from October, and harvesting from April, in the world's second largest grower.

"Higher planting has been reported in most states on optimal soil moisture conditions and timely harvest of the preceding kharif (summer) crops," the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in its latest report.

Wheat planting conditions have been generally favourable throughout the major growing states with adequate soil moisture conditions and adequate irrigation water availability in the major reservoirs and irrigation systems, it said.

Most wheat growing regions have seen a decline in temperatures in the recent weeks, providing favourable early growing conditions for the crop, it added.

Wheat sowing in the major growing states is almost over, except for some late planting in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar following the sugarcane harvest, it added.

As for wheat production, the report said it will "largely depend on winter rains (December-January) and warmer temperatures during the critical grain filling and ripening stages in February and March".

Indian agriculture experts have maintained that if weather conditions remain good, the country's wheat production is expected to exceed last year's 92.46 million tonnes and touch a new record.

The previous record of wheat output was 94.88 million tonnes in the 2011-12 crop year (July-June).