In the 2021-22 crop year (July-June), the country's wheat output is expected to shrink by about 3% to 106.41 million tonnes, according to the agriculture ministry's latest estimate announced on Thursday.
However, production is down 4.61 percent from the previous forecast of 111.32 million tonnes for the 2021-22 crop year, according to the data. In the 2020-21 crop year, wheat production reached a new high of 109.59 million tonnes. Last week, Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja blamed the drop in wheat production on decreased crop yields, primarily owing to the heat wave in Punjab and Haryana. He also predicted that wheat output would fall to 105-106 million tonnes this year.
Apart from wheat, the ministry's third advance estimate of foodgrains production predicts a small decrease in cotton and coarse cereals output. Production figures for various foodgrains and cash crops are greater than the previous year. In the 2021-22 crop year, rice production is expected to rise to 129.66 million tonnes, up from 124.37 million tonnes the previous year. Pulses production is expected to rise from 25.46 million tonnes in the 2020-21 crop year to 27.75 million tonnes in 2021-22.
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