No impact of hot weather: Wheat production set to cross record 112 million tonnes, predict ICAR-IIWBR

Even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) declared February 2023 as the warmest month since 1901, with the average maximum temperatures touching 29 degrees Celsius, the scientists of the ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) in Haryana’s Karnal have predicted that it’s unlikely to have any impact on wheat production which is likely to touch the highest ever mark of 112 million tonnes.

“There is no impact of rising temperature in the month of February on the crop, and we are confident that the wheat output will cross the 112 million tonnes mark this Rabi harvesting season,” said Gyanendra Singh, director-IIWBR.

He said that the crop is healthy and the ongoing weather is very much favourable for the crop, and a bumper wheat crop season is expected, especially in the northern wheat growing belts of the country.

According to scientists, the key reason for better yield and produce is the increase in the seed proportion of the new high-yielding and climate-resilient varieties developed by the IIWBR. “These varieties have covered over 50% of the total acreage under wheat cultivation in the country, the scientists said.

The increase of around 1.5 million hectares in the wheat acreage in the country, from 30 million hectares last year to around 31.5 million hectares, is also a factor in predicting a record output.

On Thursday, the IIWBR also issued another advisory to wheat farmers of the country, mentioning the IMD weather forecast, which indicated that in the coming week, the maximum temperature is expected to range from 24.6 degrees Celsius to 34.8 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature from 13.1 degrees Celsius to 19 degrees Celsius at most of the location in north India, which is favourable for wheat and barley crop.

The advisory said that with IMD predicting light to heavy rain spells, high-velocity wind and thunderstorms are expected between March 17 and 21, over northwest plains and adjoining parts of North Madhya Pradesh, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Rajasthan and farmers have to avoid irrigating their fields during these days.

The farmers are advised not to spray any chemical even if there is an infestation of chepa (Aphid) or rust, because rains will wash away Aphids, reads the advisory.

The month of February is considered crucial for the wheat crop, and with IMD report declaring February 2023 as the warmest in the past 122 years and the country receiving scant rainfall of only 7.2mm had left the farmers worried.

This month’s rainfall was 68% lower than the normal 22.7 mm. Last year, the IIWBR scientists had predicted that the wheat output could touch 112 million tonnes, but inclement weather and an early heatwave in March had affected both early and late varieties, resulting in shrivelling of grains.

The overall production of wheat reached 106.84 million tonnes, a dip of 2.75 million tonnes compared to 109.59 million tonnes estimated during the 2020-21 season.