Wheat stocks rise: Stocks in government warehouses rise to over 500 lakh tonnes

- New record set: Stocks of wheat, rice and various coarse grains increase to 1000 lakh tonnes

The country has seen significant changes in the field of grain production explaining the equations. Years ago, domestic production of wheat and rice was less than the demand and in the meantime we had to rely on imported goods from overseas. However, with the advent of the Green Revolution, production in the country began to grow significantly and in the meantime, the reliance on overseas imports began to decline, and in the subsequent period, the situation is such that we are exporting instead of importing, said grain market experts. Was. Meanwhile, sources in the Navi Mumbai Grain Market said that the current demand for foodgrains has come down significantly due to the restrictions on Kovid and the government's provision of free and subsidized foodgrains to poor families. Meanwhile, production in the country has increased. As a result, the procurement of wheat and rice by the government has also increased significantly and with the government warehouses flooded, the question of where to place the goods was raised. According to sources in the government-owned Food Corporation of India, the procurement of wheat by the FCI has crossed 200 lakh tonnes and the figure has gone up from 205 to 210 lakh tonnes. Last year, the figure was 3 million tonnes. This year, it has broken the old record and broken the new record. The purchase of wheat by the government has set a new record in the wake of recent protests by farmers against the government. In addition to wheat, the government has also increased the purchase of paddy and rice.

Meanwhile, according to government sources, wheat procurement from Punjab has increased from 120 to 12 lakh tonnes this year. Such purchases from Madhya Pradesh have increased from 15 to 120 lakh tonnes while from Haryana it has increased to about 5 to 20 lakh tonnes. Last year, the highest purchases were made by the government from Madhya Pradesh, while this year, more wheat has been procured from Punjab. Wheat procurement by the government has increased from about 21 lakh tonnes in the 2016-2017 season to 20 lakh tonnes in the 2020-21 season and a record increase of 200 lakh tonnes in the current 2021-2 season. The Food Corporation has started more than 15,000 procurement centers across the country to procure wheat this year.

Meanwhile, the nationwide stock of wheat in government warehouses is currently surpassing 200 lakh tonnes and is estimated at around 5 to 6 million tonnes. The total stock of wheat, rice and coarse grains with the government has risen to about 1,000 lakh tonnes. Last year, the figure was around 200 lakh tonnes at this time. Such stock has become significantly more than the government should have as per the rules of buffer stock and as a result the government is facing confusion as to how to ease the loading. Wheat production in Punjab has been recorded this year. However, despite the increase in production, there have been recent reports of a decline in wheat production per hectare. Such yields have declined by about three per cent. In Punjab, the average wheat yield per hectare has come down to around 15 kg this year, market experts said. Wheat production in Punjab has increased by an estimated 181 lakh tonnes this year, a record. In Punjab, especially in Malwa and Maza areas, there has been a significant decline in wheat production per hectare and such a decline was reported from 8 to 10 per cent.

In Punjab, wheat has been planted in an area of ​​about 3 to 4 lakh hectares this year. The average yield per hectare in Punjab has come down to 21 kg from 2009 kg this year. In Faridkot, Barnala, Sangdur area, the yield per hectare has decreased significantly. The government has also received more wheat from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh this year. Wheat production in Bihar has increased to about 21 lakh tonnes this year. The government's procurement of wheat from UP has increased from 3 to 4 lakh tonnes to 3 to 4 lakh tonnes. According to central government sources, the total wheat procurement by the government on a nationwide basis is expected to increase to around 20 lakh to 5 lakh tonnes this year. The government has also received more wheat from Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir this year. Meanwhile, on the one hand, wheat supply in the country has increased while on the other hand, local demand and exports have been slower than expected. Experts estimate that total wheat exports from India are likely to decline by about 10 per cent in the 2021-26 season. Wheat exports from India were around 4.1 million tonnes in the 2020-21 season, and Russian wheat was also less in the world market during this period. This year, two lakh tonnes have been traded for export from India to Nepal and Bangladesh. Russia has also recently reduced taxes on wheat exports.