India’s wheat planting is expected to surpass last year’s 31 MHa on the back of better water availability and soil moisture. Wheat planting has begun in irrigated parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and will pick up in other regions, including Punjab and Haryana, in the coming days. India recorded a bumper crop of 98.38 MMT last year. For 2017-18, the government has set a target of 97.50 MMT. Last season, wheat planting topped the previous year’s 31.55 million hectares by 8%. Higher acreage supported by good prices would increase farmers’ income and lower the country’s dependence on imports. Country has already imported 1 million tonnes of the commodity this year. As on October 1, the government’s wheat stock stood at about 25.3 MMT.