Domestic wheat crop remains resilient despite weather variations

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has clarified that the current wheat season may be characterized as mixed but resilient, shaped by both climatic adversities as well as strong adaptive measures undertaken by farmers. The wheat crop which was sown on an estimated area of 33.4 million hectares, had witnessed no incidence of insect pests and diseases during the season. Early and timely sowing of wheat in the country, had led to an increase in area over the last year. Late during the season, unusually high temperatures in the month of February exposed the crop to heat stress, reducing grain filling duration and yield. Further, untimely rainfall and hailstorms at maturity in a few areas have likely caused localised damage to grain quality and yield.

However, the overall production outlook remains cautiously optimistic owing to several compensatory factors. There has been no report of yield losses due to any disease or insect-pest in wheat crop. Also, the infestation of weeds was low during the crop growth stages. There has been a significant increase in early/timely sowing, which enables the crop to escape terminal heat during grain filling. The additional 0.6 million hectares area planted during 2025-26, is expected to partially offset localized losses. Government noted that it is anticipated that the adverse effects of weather anomalies will be largely compensated by increased area, early sowing, and improved varietal adoption, thereby supporting stable national wheat production as compared to the crop season of 2024-25.