Month: May 2017

Despite a good production at home, the IGC has raised its forecast for India wheat imports in 2017-18 to 3.0 million tonne from 2.0 million tonne projected a month ago. The IGC has pegged global wheat output in 2017-18 at 735.9 million tonne, marginally down from 736.3 million tonne estimated earlier. The reduction in wheat output estimate may be attributed to cuts for the wheat crop in the US and the EU. The council has pegged global wheat consumption in 2017-18 at 737.8 million tonne, marginally higher than 737.6 million tonne estimated earlier. A higher consumption is likely to drag world wheat closing stocks to 238.6 million tonne in 2017-18 from 239.0 million tonne estimated a month ago.

Even as the area under wheat crop has decreased in Punjab, the state has recorded 11% higher yield in comparison to previous year and the highest production of crop in the past five years. productivity of wheat has increased from 4,700 kg per hectare last year to 5,047 kg per hectare this year. Production of wheat has reached around 177 lakh metric tonne (MT) this year, which is the second best in the history of state. Notably, the highest production of 180 lakh MT was witnessed in the state in 2011-12. The combined production of wheat and paddy crops is highest ever at 303 lakh MT.