By Mayank Bhardwaj and Rajendra Jadhav
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India is likely to produce a record 115.4 million metric tons of wheat in 2025, the farm ministry said on Monday, as higher state-set guaranteed prices prompted farmers to expand the area planted with high-yielding seed varieties.
India, the world’s biggest wheat producer after China, produced 113.3 million tons of wheat in 2024, according to the farm ministry. But a leading industry body said the crop was nearly 6.25% lower than the government’s estimate.
Indian wheat prices surged to a record high earlier this year due to dwindling supplies and strong demand from flour mills struggling to secure enough grain to operate at full capacity.
Although India has so far resisted calls for wheat imports, any drop in this year’s output could force authorities to lower or remove the 40% import tax to facilitate overseas shipments by private traders and address potential shortages.
New Delhi was forced to ban wheat exports in 2022 after a sharp rise in temperatures in February and March that year shrivelled the crop.
India will have above-average temperatures in March across most regions following a warmer February, the weather office forecast late last month, conditions that could threaten the wheat crop.
Summer-sown rice output is expected at 120.7 million tons. Rapeseed and chickpea output are expected at 12.9 and 11.5 million tons respectively.
(Reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj and Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
