State records highest-ever wheat produce

LUCKNOW: Breaking last year’s record, Uttar Pradesh has registered the highest-ever wheat produce this year, revealed officials in the agriculture department.

The latest wheat production data available with the agriculture directorate for the current year shows that wheat production in the state stands at 357.19 lakh MT which is up by around 7.50 lakh MT produced during the previous year.

“2017-18 has been quite a promising year for the state’s farmers as far as production of wheat is concerned,” principal secretary, agriculture, Amit Mohan said adding “Not only has production increased, pro- ductivity has also increased compared t o previous years.” The productivity has gone up from 35.38 quintal per hectare last year to 36.50 quintal per hectare this time.

Both, production and productivity are higher, but the sowing area has decreased this year. Wheat was sown on a total area of 97.86 lakh hectares of land against 98.85 lakh hectares during 2016-17.

“Last year’s wheat production was also a record, but that record has been beaten this year,” additional director, agriculture, Rajesh Kumar said.

According to him, the credit for the record wheat production and the productivity goes to the balanced monsoon apart from the government’s efforts like creating awareness about scientific farm practices among farmers with an aim to double their income by 2022.

A bumper wheat production is also said to have helped the state government to make an all-time high purchase of wheat from farmers through various agencies.

“The total wheat purchase by the government agencies has been calculated at more than 52 lakh MT against the target of 40 lakh MT, courtesy the record production,” said sources in the food and civil supply department.

Cultivated as a rabi crop, wheat is UP’s main agriculture produce and the state contributes around 32 % of the country’s total wheat production, followed by Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Though wheat is grown in all districts of the state, western UP

remains the leader. “But wheat production in eastern UP is equally impressive this year,” Kumar said.