NEW DELHI: In what could help raise rural demand amid an economic slowdown, conditions are favourable for a bumper rabi (winter) crop this year, with wheat output likely to touch a record high at 10% more than last year, an estimate released by private weather forecaster Skymet said on Tuesday.
Skymet said good postmonsoon and winter rainfall, sustained cold conditions in the north and a higher support price for wheat were major positive factors for higher production this year. The agency predicts wheat production to touch 113 million tonnes (MT) in the rabi season of 2019-20, 10.6% higher than the 102.2 MT produced last year.
Bengal gram production is expected to go up by 5%, mainly on count of higher acreage this season, while rapeseed and mustard production is likely to see a marginal improvement of 1.4%, Skymet said. According to agriculture ministry data, as on January 24, the area under wheat cultivation was 10.6% higher than the same period last year and 9.6% above the 10-year average. A total of 654.1 lakh hectares had been sown against 597.5 lakh hectares sown at the corresponding period last January.
Three states reported a sharp jump in the sown area for wheat. In Maharashtra, the area under wheat rose by 80.1%, while Gujarat reported a 72.2% rise and Madhya Pradesh a 32.8% jump. Area under wheRead More – Source
[contf]
[contfnew]
times of india
[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]
