Wheat production in MP this year may cross 84 lakh MT

Bhopal, Feb 25 (PTI) Despite frost and cold waveconditions which affected earlier sown crops in MadhyaPradesh, the production of wheat is likely to cross lastyear''s yield of 84 lakh metric tonnes in the state.

Farmers had sown wheat crop earlier and when it reachedthe flowering stage, frost affected it. Despite that the statewill have bumper production of wheat this year also, StateAgriculture Minister Ramkrishna Kusumaria told PTI.

"Before frost we had estimated 90 lakh MT wheatproduction in the state. Though it has affected earlier sowncrop, it has not affected the wheat crop sown later and thetotal production is likely to be around or more than 84 lakhMT ," Director Agriculture, Dr D N Sharma also said.

The total production may decline by 5-10 per cent as wewere expecting to cross the estimated figure of 90 lakh MTthis year, he said.

However, the situation of other crops like tuar, gramand masoor is not good and the farmers have suffered a majorloss in them.

But, the situation of soybean is very good and thestate will have a bumper production of the oil producing seedthis year also, the Minister said.

Kusumaria said for the first time the state has amendedthe rules for distribution of relief to frost-hit farmers inthe state and has treated the particular affected agriculturefield as a unit as old rules prevented the state fromproviding relief to those affected. .