Winter wheat crop condition better this year: Agriculture Secretary Ashish Bahuguna

NEW DELHI: The wheat crop condition is better than last year as of now but there are concerns about adverse impact of rising temperature on productivity, a top Agriculture Ministry official said today.

"The crop health of winter-wheat is better than last year as of now. But rising temperature is a concern," Agriculture Secretary Ashish Bahuguna told reporters.

As per the second advance foodgrains estimate released by the ministry, wheat production is projected to drop slightly to 95.76 million tonnes in the 2014-15 crop year (July-June) from 95.85 million tonnes in the previous year.

Sowing of wheat, a major rabi (winter) crop, starts from October, while harvesting begins from March.

The government is targeting to procure 30 million tonnes of wheat this year at the support price of Rs 1,450 a quintal.